We all are afraid of something or the other – heights, water, closed spaces, spiders and lot more. Well there is nothing wrong in that. It’s quite all right. But it happens at times that the fear of something becomes so strong that it turns into a phobia. This post will tell you about some of the most unusual phobias that you have ever heard of.
Phobia is not about just being afraid of a particular thing. When you face such a situation or an object you panic and lose control over yourself. It is believed that phobias are mostly caused by some traumatic experience in your past. For instance, your fear of heights might have been caused by one of your trips to the mountains or the fear of insects may have been triggered back in school science class by an experiment that went terribly wrong. So the cause of phobia can be any.
It is believed that phobias are mostly caused by some traumatic experience in your past. Click To Tweet13 Most Unusual Phobias
From the fear of chair to the fear of number 13 phobia sufferers are tormented by the most unusual things. So here is a list of the most unusual phobias that I have ever heard of.
1.Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – The fear of long words
As ironic as it may sound, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words. People who suffer from this phobia feel anxious and start to panic when they come across really long words.
The irony is not lost on this one as the name of the phobia itself is a terror to behold even to those not suffering from this.
2. Xanthophobia – The fear of the colour yellow
People suffering from xanthophobia may fear anything yellow, including the sun, sunflowers and even the yellow paint. Anything in the shade of yellow will cause anxiety in them. In its most severe form xanthophobic symptoms may include an overpowering fear of even the word yellow.
3. Turophobia – The fear of cheese
Sufferers of Turophobia usually associate cheese with a traumatic memory. From basic cheddar to mozzarella, turophobes run away even from a single slice of cheese. Some turophobes may fear one type of cheese while others may fear cheese altogether.
4. Deipnophobia – The fear of dinner parties
Deipnophobia is one of the most unusual phobias wherein the person is afraid of dining with people and holding conversations with them alongside. A person with this phobia prefers to eat alone.
5. Chaetophobia – The fear of hair
The fear of hair is typically developed due to a bad experience with hair or a hairy person. The brain remembers this incident and reacts with panic and fear when the person sees hair or someone who has too much of it.
6. Omphalophobia – The fear of navels
Omphalophobia is the fear of belly buttons. Some people tend to have a bad connection with the belly button and they ultimately develop a phobia. They freak out if they have to touch their own or someone else’s navel. While it seems quite harmless to the rest of the world, just the thought of this makes them tremble. It’s not because they are grossed out by it but because of an irrational fear that, it is said, is linked with the navel’s association with the umbilical cord and the mother’s womb.
7. Somniphobia – The fear of falling asleep
Somniphobia is one of the most unusual phobias that comprise often irrational and extreme fear of sleep. People suffering from this may fear falling asleep because they associate going to bed with dying. It may also result from a feeling of lack of control or from suffering frequent nightmares. Somniphobics may also fear losing time while sleeping. This is more common in children and people who are known to have night terrors.
8. Nomophobia – The fear of being without mobile phone coverage
The phobia was coined about five years ago when researchers discovered an interesting phenomenon in individuals during a survey. The survey showed that more than half of the participants – in the UK – suffer from distress when they experience any mobile or smartphone related “crises” like losing signal, running dangerously low on battery, or just losing sight or misplacing the device itself even for a few, short seconds.
Literally, if you would spell the term out, it is “No Mobile [Phone] Phobia.”
9. Trypophobia – The fear of holes
Trypophobes are people who fear objects with small holes. Most of the time, these are objects with holes that are clustered together such as honeycombs and certain kinds of fruit and plant. Although it is not yet considered by experts as an “official phobia,” there are thousands of people that are reported to suffer from it. According to a research, trypophobes associate these holes as a sign of danger .Symptoms of trypophobia range from nausea to itchy skin to full blown panic attacks at the very sight of an object such as, say, a sponge.
10. Philophobia – The fear of falling in love
While the idea of being in love and falling in love is something that many of us desire, it is not the case for people suffering with Philophobia. Whether it’s the fear of making a serious commitment to a relationship or just the feeling of falling in love with someone, Philophobes are terrified even by just the prospect of emotional attachment to another person.
The cause of this fear may have stemmed from an experience that inoculated the person to the idea of love such as being abandoned by a parent or a partner or the having lost someone significant. They end up living a life of solitude.
11. Chrometophobia – The fear of money
In the present era, when people value money more than relationships and are running after it day and night, there are a few who can’t bear the sight of it. People who suffer from this phobia may prefer being homeless as opposed to handling money.
12. Coulrophobia – The fear of clowns
Coulrophobia is a comparatively common phobia, and usually present in children according to various surveys. The ‘scary clown’ has often been used in popular culture, for example in the form of the Joker in Batman comics and film adaptations. Coulrophobia has some celebrity sufferers- namely Daniel Radcliffe and Johnny Depp. Depp said of his clown fear: “it’s impossible, thanks to their painted-on smiles, to distinguish if they are happy or if they are about to bite your face off.”
13. Triskaidekaphobia – The fear of the number 13
To the superstitious people, the number 13 is an unlucky number that invokes misfortune, bad luck, and generally anything that may happen to you that is associated with or by using the number.
However, Triskaidekaphobes take this a step ahead because of their fear of the number itself and what it represents. Closely associated with the fear of Friday the 13th, people with this phobia take great care in avoiding anything related to or even using the number 13.
These are some of the most unusual phobias I have ever heard of. If you know about any such unusual phobia or fear do share with us.
Wow! It’s hard to beliewe that some people afraid of money!
fortunatelly, I’m not one of them 🙂
Good to know that!
My sister has a fear of pockets?
Thanks for stopping by Dexter!
Hi Sonal, great post, thank you for this. I have a height phobia, I get really shaky and panic when it comes to stepping even one rung up a ladder! Someone tried to get me on the monorail in Las Vegas once and I couldn’t even walk across the bridge over the road to get to the railway!
Enjoy the journey!
Hi Mandy
One of my friends also has the phobia of heights.
Never knew such phobias has been discover. My friend always complain about theri hair quality because they going bald at 21. I knew now the have Chaetophobia haha.
Thanks for writing in!
My aunt was a self-diagnosed hypochondriac and didn’t leave her apartment for over a decade. She would sit at her second-story window overlooking the street and entertain herself by using a huge set of medical books to diagnose imagined ailments of people passing by. I have no idea if that what caused her to behave this way was a phobia or not, but whatever it was it must have been catching because eventually her husband (my uncle) quit his job and stayed home with her. Every time I think of my relatives I’m more convinced than ever that my sister was right, I was adopted!
Hi Marquita
I guess it might have been a phobia only. She was afraid of leaving her home. Could be that something happened that forced her to stay indoors which eventually developed into a phobia.
I want to do one more type. some people also have homephobia i.e. home sickness. they cannot live or go away from their homes.
Hi
Thanks for stopping by and sharing about 1 more unusual phobia.
Have a nice day!
Nice article…
Really helpful and worthy of praise…
I think i am suffering from trypophobia…the article helped me realise that thing…i even feel awkward when i see body pores very closely…
Hi
Glad to know that you found the post helpful!
Some of these fears are comical, I did not know they existed. I will make sure to share.
Thanks Sharon!
Wow Sonal,
I didn’t know there were so many phobias of this kind. The fear of clowns seem to be common. They are so unpredictable lol and as a kid I had that fear myself for a short while.
I do know a person with the fear of money. She has a nice amount put away and some investments. She also has a good job but won’t spend a penny for fear of loosing money. Although I accept it from her, it is quite annoying he he he.
Phobias come in all shapes and sizes and people need to understand those with phobias and never make fun of them, nor discount them.
-Donna
Hi Donna
You are absolutely right – we should never make fun of people with phobias. People need to understand this.
Thanks for sharing your views.
Have a nice day!
Hi Sonal,
Although I do sympathize with people who have these phobias, I thought this post highly entertaining. Thanks for sharing…
Edward
Glad that you liked it Edward!
Hello,
Very informative post. Phobias are very common and are seen across all age groups. Sadly many common phobias develop in childhood but the good news is that phobia treatment, in the form of medications and therapy, can be very effective in dealing with both common phobias and uncommon phobias.
Hi Jack
Thanks for stopping by and sharing the information.
Have a nice day!
It is interesting to think about all these phobias. I think the clown one is one that everyone now knows about
Elise Cohen Ho recently posted…Niel Vuolo Shares Great Moments in Bad Parenting
Thanks for taking time out and sharing your feedback Elise!
Hi Sonal,
I just wanna say that it is a great post of you.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks for writing in Ariana!
I is totally comical. So, people should take it as entertainment. But this is nice explanation on your article
Thank for sharing This awesome article.
Thanks for taking time out and sharing your feedback.
Appreciate it!
Hi,
you have published a great article on Phobias. People may take it as entertainment but i believe.
thank you
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Glad that you liked it!
This is very informative blogpost on phobias
Thanks Jane for writing in!