Does standing on the fifth-floor balcony give you weak knees? Is the mere mention of spiders enough to make you scream? Or maybe you can’t stay in a room without at least one lamp on? Don’t worry, you are not alone; we all have our fears. In fact, scientists state that fear is one of the most human emotions, one that comes from ancient times. Those who claim they fear nothing either don’t want to reveal their weak spots or just haven’t discovered the thing that terrifies them yet.
The word “phobia” comes from Greek and translates as “fear.” Scientists use this word to name fears of various things – for example, claustrophobia, which is the fear of closed spaces. Phobias can vary greatly between something pretty understandable, like a fear of snakes (ophidiophobia), to something rather weird, let’s say, a fear of long words. The first time you hear about it, you might think the person is making it up. Like why would anyone be afraid of words, and what’s so scary about long words specifically? Yet this phenomenon exists, and we should be respectful towards other people’s fears. Remember that somebody might not understand why you are afraid of flying. By the way, it might sound ironic, but the scientific name for the fear of long words consists of 35 (thirty-five!) letters.
Arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, is probably the most common phobia, alongside fear of snakes, fear of heights, and fear of flying. It is estimated that at least one in three women and one in four men are afraid of spiders. It is difficult to say what the rarest phobias are, but some weird examples include fear of clothing, fear of beards, and fear of work (I think every now and then we all have this phobia at least a bit).
There are various reasons why people develop phobias, and scientists are still studying the deeper roots and possible treatments. But if you want to learn all about phobias that sound rather weird, read about them in our article. If you are feeling particularly brave today, let us know in the comments what your greatest fear is.
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Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – fear of long words.
Athazagoraphobia – fear of forgetting or being forgotten.
Arachibutyrophobia – fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth.
Ergophobia – fear of work.
Thalassophobia – fear of the ocean or deep, open water.
I have this and it is absolutely terrifying
Pentheraphobia – fear of your mother-in-law.
Taphophobia – fear of being buried alive.
I had this for a long time as a child after watching Fall of the House of Usher ... it still makes me wince now
Atelophobia – fear of imperfection.
Gamophobia – fear of marriage/relationships/commitment in general.
Syngenesophobia – fear of relatives.
Kakorrhaphiophobia – fear of failure.
Nostophobia – fear of returning home.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia – fear of Friday the 13th.
Chorophobia – fear of dancing.
....reminds me of a friend who would actually be better off with chorophobia 🙃
Heliphobia – fear of sunlight.
Neophobia – fear of new things.
Didaskaleinophobia – fear of school.
Spheksophobia – fear of wasps.
Evil spicy sky raisins. My one dog found out the hard way that you should not eat them
Somniphobia – fear of falling asleep.
Sidonglobophobia – fear of cotton balls.
*people making phobias* This will be called jhdfbvuvwdiucgsdbcuyuphobia
Genuphobia – fear of knees and kneeling.
Venustraphobia – fear of beautiful women.
Damn, it all makes sense now! Everyone around me seems to be suffering from this. Used to think it was me, but I completely understand now 😁
Sinistrophobia – fear of things to your left or left-handed people.
Kathisophobia – fear of sitting down.
Halitophobia – fear of bad breath.
Cherophobia – fear of happiness.
Metrophobia – fear of poetry.
When the teacher goes roses are red violets are blue, we all hate you and your family too
Pteronophobia – fear of being tickled by feathers.
Gymnophobia – fear of nudity.
Ostraconophobia – fear of shellfish.
Geniophobia – fear of chins.
Eisoptrophobia – fear of mirrors
Had it for a while as kid after watching Poltergeist 3. I'm ok with mirrors now at 39 but I still can't sleep if I'm across from a mirror; has to be moved or covered
Consecotaleophobia – fear of chopsticks.
Emetophobia – fear of vomiting.
I'm 13, and I have been suffering from this fear for a while. If I feel nauseous, I tend to panic because of the fact it could lead to vomiting. If possible, I find an assistant I know to help me. Mainly my parents. If I hear anyone saying something like "I don't feel good", or if I see them leaning near a garbage can/toilet/bag or seeing vomit, or if I hear vomiting or gagging noises, I end up getting panic attacks/covering my ears. If possible, I find an exit and leave. If not, I cry/scream in terror. What makes it ridiculous is people think I'm overreacting because of something I'm afraid of, and I get vomiting nightmares sometimes but rarely. It's that bad. I wish people can understand my fears, and I wish the vomiting nightmares stop occurring when I sleep sometimes. I don't think I'll ever overcome this fear. And even if I try, I'll fail immediately.
Equinophobia – fear of horses.
Triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13.
13 was my number in football. People didn't like it because they saw it as an omen. Helped me to seem more intimidating on the field. Lol
Hydrophobia – fear of water.
Chaetophobia – fear of hair.
Geliophobia – fear of laughter.
When an evil villain kidnap and threathen you *kalm* When the evil start laughing *gets heart attack*
Omphalophobia – fear of the navel.
No way ... its being scared of little orange skinned people who wear green ( joke)
Agyrophobia – fear of crossing the street.
Phonophobia – fear of sound.
Ranidaphobia – fear of frogs.
Siderophobia – fear of stars.
Symmetrophobia – fear of symmetry.
Chromophobia – fear of color.
Cynophobia – fear of dogs.
i love dogs i have three of them but one of them died i miss him his name was rambo he could fit in a mug when he was a puppy
Linonophobia – fear of string.
Turophobia – fear of cheese.
Chirophobia – fear of hands.
Phagophobia – fear of swallowing.
tell them to bring a blender everywhere with them. then they can blend the solids and drink it. make a hamburger smoothie.
Ombrophobia – fear of rain.
Aerophobia – fear of fresh air or the movement of air—such as drafts or breezes.
Chloephobia – fear of newspapers.
I wondered about the etymology of this so I looked it up. Turns out it had never been used before appearing on the internet in 2008. Doesn't make sense from the Greek roots so clearly some amateur lexicographer made it up and it stuck.
Eleutherophobia – fear of freedom.
Eren Jäger does not suffer from this. Facts.
Aurophobia – fear of gold.
Zelophobia – fear of jealousy.