FEARS AND PHOBIAS, BLEH!

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"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

--Nelson Mandela

 

Today on the Midnight Train we're going to get personal with some of you out there. We're going to talk about things that will hit close to home for some. Things that will make some of you uneasy and maybe squirm a bit. Some of you may get triggered. Some may just turn us off, completely. We're discussing the top fears and phobias around the world. We've found the top ten fears around the globe and added a couple more fun ones and weird ones for you and a special one Moody added at the end, just for me. So sit back, grab your emotional support animal, your weighted blankets...perhaps a barf bag, and let's see what makes you fuckers tick while listening to me ruin words! Thanks moody!

 

10. First up we have trypophobia. Biological revulsion and culturally learned fears are the primary causes of Trypophobia, which is the extreme and irrational fear of holes. While this fear might seem irrational to ‘normal’ people, the mere sight or thought of holes can set off a panic attack in the Trypophobe. 

Common things that can trigger trypophobia include:

Holes or pebbles in concrete

Air holes in a slice of bread

Patterns in the frosting of a cake or pie

The head of a lotus flower

The holes in an old hockey mask

Skin problems like sores, scars, and spots

Spotted animals

Shower heads

LEDs in traffic lights

 Holes seem disgusting and gross to the sufferer and s/he goes to all lengths to avoid it. Recently American horror story used this phobia to market one of their upcoming seasons and it worked wonderfully by getting  people discussing the poster/ads all over the internet. It's seems like a strange phobia but it's is actually very prevalent in society. Celebs such as Kendell jenner and Sarah paulson ( who's phobia actually inspired the American horror story usage of the phobia) have admitted to having this fear. And it seems around 16% of people admit to having this phobia. But, some scientists are now saying, maybe it's not a phobia after all.

That's because, well, it might be rational - and rooted in disgust rather than fear.

 

Trypophobia is poorly understood, and not recognised by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). So researchers at Emory University set out to study the fear response in relation to clusters of holes.

 

But they found that the pupillary response - the involuntary movement of the pupils in the eye - was closer to disgust than the pupillary response to fear.

 

"Some people are so intensely bothered by the sight of these objects that they can't stand to be around them," explained Stella Lourenco, the Emory University psychologist whose lab conducted the study.

 

"The phenomenon, which likely has an evolutionary basis, may be more common than we realise."

 

Previous research conducted in 2013 concluded that the response may be related to the speckled patterns of dangerous animals, such as snakes. But in January 2017, a different explanation was put forward.

 

Researchers at the University of Kent proposed that a pattern of holes, like those that can be found in a lotus pod or honeycomb, arouse our aversion because they resemble parasite infestations, infectious diseases, and decomposition.

"We're an incredibly visual species," said lead author of this latest study, Vladislav Ayzenberg. "Low-level visual properties can convey a lot of meaningful information. These visual cues allow us to make immediate inferences - whether we see part of a snake in the grass or a whole snake - and react quickly to potential danger."

 

Phobia or not… Many people seem to be affected by this… Are you?

 

9: Picture the following: you're sitting back settling in for the next few hours. You have a drink, adult or otherwise, a little snack, a good book. A few minutes later you look out the window to see you're 30,000 feet in the air above the countryside cruising along at 500 miles per hour. Crammed into a big metal tube with a hundred or two other people, babies crying, fat guy next to you, crabby flight attendant, drunk pilot…. Sorry I digress. If this is a less than appealing situation for you, the actual flying part anyways, you may have the next phobia on our list. We're talking aerophobia here! Aerophobia is the fear of flying which affects nearly 6.5% of the world’s population. The phobia is usually associated with other fears including Agoraphobia (fear of being unable to escape) and Claustrophobia (fear of small and restricted spaces). Naturally, the fear affects the person’s professional and personal life as air travel is nearly impossible for him/her. The mere thought of an upcoming flight can cause intense distress in the sufferer including nausea, panic attacks, etc. The alcohol and Xanax industry love this phobia. Aerophobia can also mean an irrational fear of fresh air or drafts of air. Again this is a very common fear, the 6.5% seems a bit low to us. Many celebrities are afraid of flying which sucks cus they fly...a fucking lot. Some include Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, R. “pee on young girls” Kelly, Sandra bullock, Colin Farrell, among others. Long time Monday night football announcer and video game namesake John Madden hated flying so much that he had his own personal bus that he would take to his Monday night gigs and wherever else he needed to travel. Breaking Benjamin frontman Benjamin Burnley had to sail from the US to the UK due to his fear of flying. He stated, “It’s just something I’m really not comfortable with. I’d rather die some other way.”  Movies and tv shows often play on this fear to cause unease in the audience. Twilight Zone and Final destination are a couple of the more known examples! For comedy you have the classic Airplane and the classic Airport disaster movie series from the 70s. Also...Alive… Don't watch that before a flight!

 

So what do you guys think… Flying...go or no go?

 

8: Are you a clean freak? Everything must be clean, sanitized, washed out whatever else, constantly? Constantly using baby wipes and hand sanitizer. Don't think the 5 second rule is a real thing? You may suffer from number 8 on the list. Mysophobia is the irrational fear of germs! If you're like Moody and lick doorknobs to keep your immune system up to snuff you'll be fine, if not… Well sucks for you cus there are germs literally every fucking where. Mysophobia is often closely related to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Many people suffer from both OCD as well as Mysophobia, as a result of which they might indulge in excessive bathing or hand washing. The unhealthy fear of germs causes the phobics to also fear contamination of food or exposure to bodily fluids from those around them. Mysophobia might lead to many complications since the person goes to extreme lengths to avoid all kinds of social situations. Contrary to popular belief, Jeff didn't have mysophobia, he just hates people. Isolation is a common symptom of this phobia. The condition might also give rise to other phobias such as Agoraphobia as well as various anxiety disorders. Howie Mandel, Cameron Diaz, Donald Trump, and Howard Hughes are a few of a bunch of celebrities that suffer from this condition. If you're a mysophobic, we recommend staying away from movies like Cabin Fever, Outbreak, and 12 Monkeys! Not to mention Germ Z from 2013, 28 Days Later, Contagion, The Stand, and if you wanna get crazy you can combine germs and aliens and you have The Andromeda Strain.

 

So listeners… Do you get down and dirty or do you prefer a nice sanitized life?

 

7: Ever got stuck in an elevator? Did you freak the fuck out? Ever had an mri and have a panic attack? You may be experiencing claustrophobia number 7 on our list of things to fuck with your head. 5-7% of the world population are said to suffer from this phobia. Claustrophobia is a situational phobia triggered by an irrational and intense fear of tight or crowded spaces. It can be triggered by things like being locked in a windowless room, being stuck in a crowded elevator, or driving on a congested highway.

 

Claustrophobia is one of the most common phobias. If you experience claustrophobia, you may feel like you’re having a panic attack, although claustrophobia isn’t a panic disorder. For some people, claustrophobia may disappear on its own. Others may need therapy to manage and cope with their symptoms. 

 

    Symptoms of claustrophobia appear following a trigger for the phobia, such as being in a closed room or a crowded space. What you consider a small space can vary depending on the severity of your phobia.

 

When experiencing symptoms of claustrophobia, you may feel like you’re having a panic attack. Symptoms of claustrophobia can include:

 

sweating

trembling

hot flashes

feeling intense fear or panic

becoming anxious

shortness of breath

hyperventilation

rapid heartbeat

chest tightness or pain

nausea

feeling faint or lightheaded

feeling confused or disorientated

These symptoms can be mild or severe. 

Little is known about what causes claustrophobia. Environmental factors may play a big part. People typically develop claustrophobia during childhood or in their teenage years.

 

Claustrophobia could be related to dysfunction of the amygdala (/əˈmɪɡdələ) which is the part of the brain that controls how we process fear. The phobia can also be caused by a traumatic event. Dave Grohl plays in arenas, good thing as he has claustrophobia. Uma Thurman, Woody Allen, Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds, The Beebs( Justin bieber), and rocker Liam Gallagher are all claustrophobic as well. I bet Uma Thurman loved the coffin scene in Kill Bill. Speaking of movies to avoid if you're a claustrophobic… You may want to steer clear of The Descent (amazing movie), Buried (with Ryan Reynolds of all people), Devil, Phone Booth, and anything involving bunkers like 10 Cloverfield Lane. Then you have the likes of Panic Room, Green Room, the hole, and the cube.

 

How many of you guys like being stuck in small spaces? Moody gets stuck in small spaces all the time… But that's cus he's… Well… You know. 

 

6: Do you find yourself inexplicably afraid of Thor? If so you may be like the 2-5% of the world population that suffers from astraphobia or alternately brontophobia. This is the fear of thunder and lightning.  It can affect people of all ages, though it may be more common in children than adults. It’s also seen in animals.

 

Many children who have this fear will eventually outgrow it, but others will continue to experience the phobia into adulthood. Astraphobia can also manifest in adults who didn’t have it as children.

 

Being caught in a thunderstorm or preparing for extreme weather conditions can create reasonable levels of anxiety or fear. In people with astraphobia, thunderstorms cause an extreme reaction that can be debilitating. For people with this phobia, these feelings may be overwhelming and feel insurmountable.

 

Astraphobia is also called:

 

astrapophobia

tonitrophobia

brontophobia

keraunophobia

 

Astraphobia is a treatable anxiety disorder. Like many other phobias, it’s not officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a specific psychiatric diagnosis.

 

In people without this phobia, news of an impending storm may lead you to cancel or relocate outdoor plans. Or if you find yourself in a lightning storm, you may seek shelter or move away from tall trees. Even though the chances of getting hit by lightning are slim, these actions represent an appropriate response to a potentially dangerous situation.

 

A person with astraphobia will have a reaction that goes beyond these seemingly appropriate acts. They may have feelings of panic, both before and during a storm. These feelings can escalate into a full-blown panic attack, and include symptoms such as:

 

all-over body shaking

chest pain

numbness

nausea

heart palpitations

trouble breathing

Other symptoms of astraphobia may include:

 

sweaty palms

racing pulse

obsessive desire to monitor the storm

the need to hide away from the storm, such as in a closet, bathroom, or under the bed

clinging to others for protection

uncontrollable crying, particularly in children

The person may also understand that these feelings are overblown and irrational without the ability to curtail them. The only two celebrities we could find with this phobia are the human skeleton herself, Madonna and Rafael nadal. She's afraid of thunderstorms, and food maybe. She's a nut job. And he… Well… He plays tennis. At any rate if you suffer from this you may want to avoid movies like Twister, the day after tomorrow, any of the Thor movies, and The Perfect Storm. Also skip these bangers: super cyclone, weather wars, polar storm, final storm and airspeed. 

 

5: Dogs or cats? It's the age old debate! If you you say dogs… Well done. If you say cats… Well you're wrong… and you may have cynophobia. The fear of dogs is another popular fear. Cynophobia comes from the Greek words that mean “dog” (cyno) and “fear” (phobia). A person who has cynophobia experiences a fear of dogs that’s both irrational and persistent. It’s more than just feeling uncomfortable with barking or being around dogs. Instead, this fear may interfere with daily life and trigger a number of symptoms, like trouble breathing or dizziness. Cynophobia affects some 7 to 9 percent of the population. It is formally recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Cynophobia falls under the “animal” specifier. Around a third of people who seek treatment for specific phobias have an irrational fear of either dogs or cats.

 

Researchers estimate there are more than 62,400,000 dogs living in the United States. So your chances of running into a dog are relatively high. With cynophobia, you may experience symptoms when you’re around dogs or even when you’re just thinking about dogs.

 

Symptoms associated with specific phobias are highly individual. No two people may experience the fear or certain triggers in the same way. Your symptoms may be physical, emotional, or both.

 

Physical symptoms include:

 

trouble breathing

rapid heart rate

pain or tightness in your chest

shaking or trembling

dizziness or lightheadedness

upset stomach

hot or cold flashes

sweating

 

Emotional symptoms include:

panic or anxiety attacks

intense need to escape situations that trigger fear

detached feeling from self

loss of control

feeling you may pass out or die

feeling powerless over your fear

Children have specific symptoms as well. When exposed to the thing the child fears they may:

 

have a tantrum

cling to their caregiver

Or cry

 

For example, a child may refuse to leave a caregiver’s side when a dog is around. Nearly 36% of sufferers seek treatment for Cynophobia and the majority of these are also known to be afraid of cats. The extreme fear of dogs is actually even more debilitating than the fear of spiders and the fear of snakes due to the fact that dogs are commonly present in most residential areas. Nearly 75% of Cynophobes are women, though the fear also affects men. One of those men was the king of pop… Michael Jackson himself. Sharing his fear are: Bobby Brown, cus damnit it's his prerogative(correct spelling, blew my mind), and Woody Allen. Pretty sure Woody Allen has every one of these by the way. If you're a cynophobe we  would strongly recommend skipping the movie Cujo. Also should probably skip Man's Best Friend, The Breed, and everyone's favorite Frankenweenie.  You may also want to take a flyer on Marley and Me, Adventures of Milo and Otis, Beethoven, Balto, Turner and Hooch and Air Bud. Fuck Air Bud. Guys there is a metric shit ton of dog movies… So you know be warned.

 

4: Do you feel uneasy in a big crowd? Hate going to concerts? Big festivals and sitting events freak you out? Are you anxious when you find yourself in wide open spaces? There's a good chance you could be agoraphobic. Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed. You fear an actual or anticipated situation, such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line, or being in a crowd. The anxiety is caused by fear that there's no easy way to escape or get help if the anxiety intensifies. Most people who have agoraphobia develop it after having one or more panic attacks, causing them to worry about having another attack and avoid the places where it may happen again.

 

People with agoraphobia often have a hard time feeling safe in any public place, especially where crowds gather. You may feel that you need a companion, such as a relative or friend, to go with you to public places. The fear can be so overwhelming that you may feel unable to leave your home.

 

Agoraphobia treatment can be challenging because it usually means confronting your fears. Typical agoraphobia symptoms include fear of:

 

Leaving home alone

Crowds or waiting in line

Enclosed spaces, such as movie theaters, elevators or small stores

Open spaces, such as parking lots, bridges or malls

Using public transportation, such as a bus, plane or train

These situations cause anxiety because you fear you won't be able to escape or find help if you start to feel panicked or have other disabling or embarrassing symptoms.

 

In addition:

 

Fear or anxiety almost always results from exposure to the situation. Your fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger of the situation. You avoid the situation, you need a companion to go with you, or you endure the situation but are extremely distressed. You experience significant distress or problems with social situations, work or other areas in your life because of the fear, anxiety or avoidance. Your phobia and avoidance usually lasts six months or longer. 

 

Maybe Jeff is actually agoraphobic… Probably just hates people still though.

 

 It doesn't seem like many celebrities would be able to be celebrities and have agoraphobia, maybe that's why most of the ones we've found are artists and poets, with a couple actors mixed in. Writer Philip K. Dick who's novels were adapted into awesome sci-fi movies like, total recall, blade runner, a scanner darkley, and minority report was extremely agoraphobic. Same can be said of fellow writers Emily dickinson, Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House), and sci-fi writer  H.L. Gold. Artist Edvard Munch of The Scream fame suffered as well. Musician Brian Wilson,  actress Kim Basinger, tv chef and noted racist who loves butter Paula Dean, and everyone's favorite child actor Macaulay Culkin also all suffer from agoraphobia. 

 

Just remember, just cus you hate people doesn't mean you're agoraphobic!

 

3: Do you get shakey on top of a ladder? Do you loath doing roofing? Tightrope walking over Niagara falls a no go? Sounds like you suffer from acrophobia, the fear of heights! Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share both similar causes and options for treatment. Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, known as the fear of falling. On the other hand, those who have little fear of such exposure are said to have a head for heights. A head for heights is advantageous for those hiking or climbing in mountainous terrain and also in certain jobs such as steeplejacks or wind turbine mechanics. By the way, A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales buildings, chimneys, and church steeples to carry out repairs or maintenance. Steeplejacks erect ladders on church spires, industrial chimneys, cooling towers, bell towers, clock towers, or any other high structure.

 

People with acrophobia can experience a panic attack in high places and become too agitated to get themselves down safely. Approximately 2–5% of the general population has acrophobia, with twice as many women affected as men. Traditionally, acrophobia has been attributed, like other phobias, to conditioning or a traumatic experience. Recent studies have cast doubt on this explanation. Individuals with acrophobia are found to be lacking in traumatic experiences. Nevertheless, this may be due to the failure to recall the experiences, as memory fades as time passes. To address the problems of self report and memory, a large cohort study with 1000 participants was conducted from birth; the results showed that participants with less fear of heights had more injuries because of falling. More studies have suggested a possible explanation for acrophobia is that it emerges through accumulation of non-traumatic experiences of falling that are not memorable but can influence behaviours in the future. Also, fear of heights may be acquired when infants learn to crawl. If they fell, they would learn the concepts about surfaces, posture, balance, and movement. Cognitive factors may also contribute to the development of acrophobia. People tend to wrongly interpret visuo-vestibular discrepancies as dizziness and nausea and associate them with a forthcoming fall. A traumatic conditional event of falling may not be necessary at this point.

 

    Another possible contributing factor is a dysfunction in maintaining balance. In this case the anxiety is both well founded and secondary. The human balance system integrates proprioceptive, vestibular and nearby visual cues to reckon position and motion. As height increases, visual cues recede and balance becomes poorer even in normal people. However, most people respond by shifting to more reliance on the proprioceptive and vestibular branches of the equilibrium system. We're not sure which one of these causes Matt Damon to be afraid of heights… But he is… well… a pussy. Also suffering from acrophobia are Sheryl crow, toby Macguire, Liam Neeson, and maybe Sly Stallone but that hasn't been confirmed. There are many movies that you should probably avoid if you have this phobia, including Cliffhanger, the Walk, Man On A Wire, and a bunch of scenes from the mission impossible movies and die hard films, Not to mention the classics Vertigo and High Anxiety!

 

2: This next fear is a very common one. Bunch of scaredy cats out there that can't deal with creatures that don't have any legs. That's right… worms… oh wait… Sorry wrong notes… Snakes!! Number two on our list slithers right into your hearts. It's known as ophidiophobia, and it affects nearly a third of the adult human population… That's crazy… a third of the adult human population!!! So Moody ran the numbers and came up with roughly 1.8 billion people give or take, that's for people in the world over the age of 15. Most people with Ophidiophobia can lead normal lives as they do not have to confront the object of their fears under normal circumstances. However, for people with severe Ophidiophobia, the mere mention, or an image of a snake in books or on TV can lead to an intense fear response, the reactions of which can even include heart attacks and death. 

 

Snakes are fascinating creatures that have always had myths associated with them. These myths are the major reason why humans fear them. This and the fact that some snakes are deadly and venomous and can lead to deaths have probably led to Ophidiophobia.

 

Some causes are: 

Ignorance and lack of education is one of the most common reasons why humans fear snakes.

Traumatic episodes in the past such as accidently stepping on a snake or being bitten, hissed at or otherwise threatened by snakes might have led to one’s Ophidiophobia.

Seeing or witnessing an incident wherein another person, a close friend or family member was hissed at, or bitten by a snake can also lead to the fear of snakes

Media reports and TV shows can also lead one to believe that snakes are always dangerous leading to Ophidiophobia.

Genetic traits, family history with ophidiophobic persons etc can also lead other family members to have an intense fear of snakes.

Evolution is another reason behind this phobia. Many evolutionary psychologists explain Ophidiophobia as a ‘disgust response’ to snakes that have always been associated with death, disease or poison. The American Psychiatric Association has described the following symptoms of Ophidiophobia which can be categorized as mental, physical or emotional:

 

Uncontrollable anxiety especially when one is about to be exposed to snakes

Feeling that one must do anything to avoid snakes

Screaming, crying or experiencing the difficulty to breathe, or trembling or shaking violently when one encounters snakes, their pictures or images on TV etc.

Feeling anxious or experiencing increased heart rate when taken to locations where snakes may be present.

 

Ophidiophobia can affect a person’s normal life especially when he/she avoids zoos or friends’ homes where there are pet snakes. Ophidiophobics refuse to leave their homes in places that have a high snake population. Now it's safe to say that a bunch of our listeners are afraid of snakes given the numbers, but as stated you're obviously not alone. You keep good company as Matt Damon makes another appearance on our list alongside Justin Timberlake and his one time gal Brittney spears. As far as movies go there's the obvious… All those muthafuckin snakes on that muthafuckin plane! Also there's the one about that tiny snake called anaconda. You should take a flyer on Jaws Of Satan, King Cobra, Piranahconda, and Python. Also skip Hiss, Venom(not the superhero flick) and Vipers. And who could forget the cinema masterpiece Mega python vs. Gatoroid!!! At any rate there's a shitload of movies to avoid if you hate snakes… So good luck.

 

1: that brings us to number 1…. The big numero uno. They're creepy… They're crawly… They're sometimes hairy… sometimes venomous, some eat bugs… some eat birds… Some are barely visible while some are as big as dinner plates.. That's right… Spiders! Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders! Arachnophobia means more than being scared of spiders and other forms of arachnids. It is an intense, paralyzing fear where someone actively avoids contact with spiders. This fear extends beyond meeting an arachnid in real life. Even mentioning or seeing pictures of spiders can trigger a fear response in people with arachnophobia. Although someone may fear a spider’s appearance, research suggests many people primarily fear how they move.

 

Arachnophobia is an extreme fear of spiders and other arachnids. It is one of the more common types of phobias.

 

Arachnophobia, like many phobias, often develops during childhood.

A specific phobia is an irrational fear of something unlikely to cause danger.

This fear extends beyond meeting an arachnid in real life. Even mentioning or seeing pictures of spiders can trigger a fear response in people with arachnophobia.

 

Although someone may fear a spider’s appearance, research suggests many people primarily fear how they move.

 

Causes

Specific phobias, such as arachnophobia, tend to develop in childhood. Although there is no single trigger for arachnophobia, there are theories that suggest why it might develop. Some of these are:

 

Evolutionary

Evolutionary theory suggests people develop arachnophobia due to an evolved preparedness in dealing with potential threats.

 

One study tested this to see if arachnophobia is inherent in our nature. Researchers presented a group of 6-month old infants with images of flowers, birds, spiders, and snakes. Upon seeing the pictures of spiders and snakes, the infants’ pupils dilated, which indicated their fear responses had activated.

 

Social theories

Another theory is that people’s fear of spiders is learned. For example, the media often depicts spiders as scary and potentially dangerous.

 

In addition, if a person grows up in an environment where their parents are scared of spiders, this may become a learned behavior, and the child could also develop the same fear.

 

Past experience

If a person has a previous unpleasant or traumatic experience with a spider, this may cause arachnophobia to develop.

 

Symptoms

There are several symptoms that accompany arachnophobia, and they are typically similar to those of a panic attack. Some of the physical signs include:

 

dizziness

nausea

sweating

shaking

increased heart rate

fainting

breathing difficulty

A person with arachnophobia may also show some of the following behaviors:

 

avoiding situations where spiders may be, such as television shows, forests, or sheds

overestimating the chances of encountering a spider

running, screaming, or crying if they see a spider

becoming so scared, they freeze in place. Y'all being afraid of funny little things that you can squish with a shoe are silly.. But then again you're in good company! Justin Timberlake is back again, Halle Berry makes an appearance, Johnny Depp is afraid of spiders… Among other things, Rafael Nadal is afraid of a ton of shit including Spiders, and there are more but that list would probably take awhile. You know who's not afraid of Spiders… John Goodman… And really the only movie worth mentioning here would be the fucking mother of all spider flicks… arachnophobia. I mean are there any others? I mean there are but whatever. Ok fine… Don't watch the following if you're spiderly challenged: 8 legged freaks, the 2013 modern classic Big Ass Spider, Lavalantula and it's phenomenal sequel 2 Lava 2 Lantula( yes those are real), Ice Spiders, 1958s Earth vs. The Giant Spider, Tarantula, and possibly the most frightening movie involving Spiders… Charlotte's Web. 

 

Also, some crazy shit! scientists have recently discovered that spiders have started moving into cars and houses at an alarming rate since the Covid 19 pandemic began. According to a recent Harvard study, you are 78% more likely to have a spider crawling on or around you at this very moment as opposed to one year ago. The study also says that most of you probably looked around and feel like a complete asshole for believing my bullshit! I’m a liar… but that felt good. Sorry, not sorry.

 

Well there it is… The top ten fears and phobias around the world. But you know us… That's not good enough around here. We gotta find some of the strangest fears and phobias. Let's give you a quick run down of some of the craziest ones. There's going to be a bunch of fun words for Me to fuck up plus, apparently Mr Moody put a treat at the end for me. Oh boy.

 

Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing, washing, or cleaning. At least you'd know who has this one….

 

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. While the phenomenon has happened to everyone at one point or another, people with arachibutyrophobia are extremely afraid of it. The severity of arachibutyrophobia varies from person to person. Some with this condition may be able to eat small amounts of peanut butter while others will avoid eating peanut butter or anything with the consistency of peanut butter altogether.

 

Nomophobia is the fear of being without your mobile phone. People with nomophobia experience excessive anxiety about not having their phone with them, their battery being low or their phone being out of service. Regardless of the circumstances, not being able to use their phone causes people with nomophobia to become panicked and experience extreme symptoms of anxiety.

 

Optophobia is a fear of opening one’s eyes. This fear can be extremely debilitating, as it is hard for an individual to carry out daily activities without opening their eyes. People with optophobia may prefer to stay indoors or in dimly lit areas. This phobia is usually associated with a generalized anxiety disorder. Like so many other phobias, this fear is usually the result of a traumatic incident.

 

Omphalophobia is a fear of belly buttons. People with omphalophobia will avoid seeing or touching belly buttons, even their own. They might even put a bandage over their belly button to avoid looking at it. They will sometimes avoid places where belly buttons might be exposed, like the beach.

 

Pogonophobia is a fear of beards. This usually stems from an alarming incident with a bearded person. It could also arise from a person not liking that a beard hides someone’s face.

 

People with pogonophobia will avoid people with beards and may even have anxiety when looking at a picture of someone with a beard. They usually will not be friends with someone who has a beard and will feel extremely nervous when talking to someone who does.

 

Vestiphobia is a fear of clothing. For many people, this manifests as a fear of a specific garment. For others, it might come from a fear of tight-fitting clothing that causes them to feel restrained. In other cases, it is a fear of all clothing. Vestiphobia can arise from an allergy to a specific type of fabric or a traumatic event associated with a certain piece of clothing. For example, there have been cases where former soldiers develop a fear of military clothing.

Eisoptrophobia is a fear of mirrors, sometimes also referred to as spectrophobia or catoptrophobia. People with this fear are unable to look at themselves in a mirror. This fear may also extend to any reflective surface. This fear may stem from superstitions about mirrors. For instance, a person may be afraid of breaking a mirror as they believe it will cause them bad luck. Others may fear that they will see something supernatural in a mirror, such as a ghost. In some cases, eisoptrophobia develops from low self-esteem, where a person is ashamed of their physical appearance and therefore does not want to see it in a mirror. In some cases, it can lead to depression.

 

Then there's good ol phobophobia. Phobophobia is a fear of phobias. This can be described as free-floating anxiety, where a person spirals in a circle of anxiety from fearing fear itself. In that respect, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Phobophobia is commonly co-diagnosed with other types of specific phobias and is often associated with anxiety disorders. People with phobophobia will often avoid social situations or other situations that can lead to anxiety. When extreme, it will greatly interfere with an individual’s everyday life.

 

And finally we get to Moody’s gift to me and my favorite phobia of all time:

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is a fear of long words. Ironically, it is also the longest word in the dictionary. Another name for this phobia is sesquipedalophobia. This phobia is thought to develop from being embarrassed by pronouncing long words incorrectly. This may occur while reading aloud in front of the class as a child. The phobia can also be common in people with dyslexia. Fuck you, Moody!!