Neophobia is the fear of new things or experiences. Neophobia is also called cainotophobia. In psychology, neophobia is defined as the persistent and abnormal fear of anything new. In its milder form, it can manifest as the unwillingness to try new things or break from routine.

The term is also used to describe anger, frustration or trepidation toward new things and toward change in general. Some conservative and reactionary groups are often described as neophobic, in their attempts to preserve traditions or revert society to a perceived past form. Technophobia can be seen as a specialized form of neophobia, by fearing new technology.

Robert Anton Wilson theorized that neophobia was instinctual in humans after they became parents and began to raise children, in his book Prometheus Rising. Wilson's views on neophobia are mostly negative, believing that it is the reason human culture and ideas does not advance as quickly as our technology. In Wilson's model, in order for new ideas, however well-proven and evident, to be implemented, the generations who consider those ideas new must die. Only the generations that consider the ideas accepted and old can remain.

It should be noted that Wilson does not assume humans are thinking most of the time, and believes that the rational mind usually justifies instinctual activity rather than actually drive action.