In life, there are fears that may sound irrational at first. But for those who have experienced them, these feelings are very real. Never underestimate them, as they are often present in our daily lives.
Top 36 Strange Fears of Humanity
- 1. Pentheraphobia – Fear of “Mother-in-law”
- 2. Sciaphobia – Fear of “Shadows”
- 3. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia – Fear of “Long Words”
- 4. Phobophobia – Fear of “Fear Itself”
- 5. Chronophobia – Fear of “Time Passing”
- 6. Euphobia – Fear of “Good News”
- 7. Trypophobia – Fear of “Holes”
- 8. Somniphobia – Fear of “Sleeping”
- 9. Pantophobia – Fear of Everything
- 10. Nomophobia – Fear of “Lack of Phone”
- 11. Coprophobia – Fear of Feces
- 12. Plutophobia – Fear of Money
- 13. Pteronophobia – Fear of Feathers
- 14. Ablutophobia – Fear of Bathing
- 15. Aurophobia – Fear of Gold
- 16. Nyctophobia – Fear of Sleeping in the Dark
- 17. Lepidopterophobia – Fear of Butterflies
- 18. Fear of Emergency Exits
- 19. Fear of Women/Men
- 20. Porphyrophobia – Fear of Purple
- 21. Sociophobia – Fear of Being Judged
- 22. Katsaridaphobia – Fear of Cockroaches
- 23. Fear of Going Down Stairs
- 24. Ebulliophobia – Fear of Bubbles
- 25. Agoraphobia – Fear of Crowds
- 26. Gephyrophobia – Fear of Crossing Bridges
- 27. Fear of Standing on Glass Floors
- 28. Fear of Standing in Elevators
- 29. Coulrophobia – Fear of Clowns
- 30. Acarophobia – Fear of Small Insects
- 31. Fear of Kayaking
- 32. Batrachophobia – Fear of Frogs
- 33. Tetraphobia – Fear of the Number 4
- 34. Fear of Beards
- 35. Siderodromophobia – Fear of Trains
- 36. Fear of Answering the Phone
Humans experience many fears that form syndromes, known as “phobias” in English. This term originates from Greek, and nearly every phobia’s name is derived from the Greek language, with the prefix being the Greek name for that fear, according to Reader’s Digest.
1. Pentheraphobia – Fear of “Mother-in-law”
It is unclear why, but the mention of “mother-in-law” often evokes a strange sense of dread.
2. Sciaphobia – Fear of “Shadows”
This is the strange feeling of anxiety when looking at one’s own shadow or that of someone else.
3. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia – Fear of “Long Words”
True to its name, this condition is the fear of encountering overly long words.
4. Phobophobia – Fear of “Fear Itself”
Phobophobia is a type of anxiety disorder where the more one fears, the more they become fearful. Those who suffer from this syndrome often fear other fears they have experienced in the past.
5. Chronophobia – Fear of “Time Passing”
Have you ever looked at a clock and suddenly felt a surge of fear as time seems to pass too quickly, especially for students approaching deadlines or anyone facing an imminent deadline? This is Chronophobia.
6. Euphobia – Fear of Hearing “Good News”
This may sound strange, but this condition is very real. The underlying reason for this unusual fear is a sense of unease, fear of being deceived, or doubt about the hidden truth behind the news. This is a particular fear among pessimists. When you hear good news, you suddenly feel the anxiety of having misheard or that something is amiss. Is it intuition?
7. Trypophobia – Fear of “Holes”
Trypophobia is an unrecognized psychological condition characterized by feelings of goosebumps, disgust, and anxiety when viewing images of many round holes or clusters of round holes, such as honeycombs, lotus seed pods, drill holes in trees, or tattoo holes on human skin.
8. Somniphobia – Fear of “Sleeping”
People often fear sleeping because they associate it with death. This results from a sense of losing control or often experiencing nightmares.
9. Pantophobia – Fear of Everything
This is a truly debilitating condition. Those who suffer from this fear everything, feeling anxious when encountering anyone or anything.
10. Nomophobia – Fear of “Lack of Phone”
“Nomophobia” describes an increasingly prevalent fear in today’s world, the fear of being without a mobile device, especially as smartphones become more popular and essential in daily life. At universities, the rate of students displaying such behaviors is on the rise. Symptoms of this fear include:
- Taking the mobile phone into the bathroom.
- Preferring to lose a finger than be separated from their smartphone.
- Frequently updating social media rather than engaging in real-life conversations.
11. Coprophobia – Fear of Feces
Most people are uneasy when faced with feces and bodily waste. For those with Coprophobia, the fear is so intense that it leads to feelings of disgust, obsession, and even self-destructive tendencies due to thoughts about feces.
12. Plutophobia – Fear of Money
This is one of the strange obsessions characterized by a fear of money, the opportunity to become wealthy, or wealthy individuals.
13. Pteronophobia – Fear of Feathers
When encountering feathers or feather-like objects, individuals suffering from this fear become uncomfortable, panicked, and begin to imagine scenarios of being tickled or tortured.
14. Ablutophobia – Fear of Bathing
This syndrome encompasses the fear of personal hygiene activities such as bathing, washing hair, hand washing, or cleaning the body. Women and children are more likely to be affected than men. Fear of bathing is an unusual obsession that often stems from a traumatic event in the past, leading individuals to isolate themselves from society.
15. Aurophobia – Fear of Gold
Individuals with this syndrome may panic, feel nauseous, sweat, or experience irregular heartbeats when they see someone wearing gold jewelry.
Whether in the past or present, many people still fear answering the phone. (Illustration: Phil Hackett / The Guardian).
Historically, telephones were considered harmful devices. In some respects, this situation has reversed. Nowadays, many of us fear being away from our phones. However, as we increasingly use mobile phones, the act of answering calls has become daunting.
A survey conducted in 2019 revealed that 76% of participants born in the last two decades of the 20th century expressed anxiety when they heard the phone ring.
Take a moment to reflect and see if you have ever experienced any of these fears!
