The Most Bizarre Phobias You Have Ever Heard

A phobia is not a simple concern. It is an irrational fear that causes people to go to extreme lengths to avoid something they are afraid of. Although the feared object or situation may not pose any danger, people who have a phobia perceive it to be a real threat. A normal fear turns into a phobia when people start organizing their life around avoiding the object or situation they are afraid of. Although some phobias, such as dentophobia (fear of the dentist) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders) are common, others are unusual. Here are twenty of the most bizarre phobias every documented.

Papaphobia Or The Fear Of The Pope

Papaphobes fear the pope and, sometimes, other saints or holy people. This phobia may also be related to ecclesiophobia or the fear of the church. It may prevent sufferers from going to church or attending weddings and funerals. Papaphobia may not be as disruptive to daily life as some other phobias are, but just thinking about the pope or seeing him on the news can trigger a panic attack and such symptoms as dizziness, nausea, and a racing heart.

Somniphobia Or The Fear Of Falling Asleep

For people without this phobia, fears associated with going to bed are more likely to be about not being able to fall asleep or get a good night’s rest. In comparison, people with somniphobia have a fear of falling asleep. They often associate negative feelings with falling asleep and may be afraid of dying, losing time, or losing control if they drift off.

Ergophobia Or The Fear Of Work

Part of social anxiety disorder, ergophobia It is a complex phobia in which people fear work. Some ergophobes may be intensely afraid of getting injured while performing manual labour at work, but most are afraid of having to socialize with people at work. Some causes of ergophobia include schizophrenia, fear of rejection, a traumatic experience involving work, and clinical depression.

Omphalophobia Or The Fear Of Navels

People suffering from omphalophobia are afraid of or disgusted by the very sight of a belly button. Both men and women experience this phobia, and even Khloe Kardashian allegedly suffers from it. The phobia often begins in childhood as a result of a negative experience associated with the belly button.

Nomophobia Or The Fear Of Being Without Mobile Phone Coverage

This phobia is likely on the rise considering how dependent people are on their mobile phones. Many people experience a twinge of fear if they forget their mobile phone at home or if their phone runs out of battery. However, nomophobia kicks this fear up a notch by triggering panic at the thought of being without a mobile phone or without cellular coverage.

Hylophobia Or The Fear Of Trees

Hylophobes intensely fear trees and forests. Most people would tremble if they got lost in the woods, but for hylophobes, just the thought of the woods makes them shake in their boots. For city dwellers, this phobia might not be easily understood. However, for people living near forests, who have to deal with strange and sometimes threatening animals coming out of the woods, this phobia may be more understandable.

Trypophobia Or The Fear Of Holes

Trypophobes suffer from an intense fear of irregular patterns or clusters of small bumps or holes, usually associating them with danger. They can be the small holes of a sponge, a honeycomb, a cluster of seed heads, or even aerated chocolate. Research has shown that trypophobia may be an adaptive response rather than a quirk because these types of patterns in the environment can signify real danger. For example, the poisonous blue-ringed octopus has a pattern like this on its skin. Leprosy is also associated with this type of pattern.

Turophobia Or The Fear Of Cheese

Turophobes do not appreciate the taste, smell, or sight of cheese. While everyone else is eagerly digging into a gooey, cheesy pizza, turophobes cover their face and run away in fear. Turophobes usually develop their phobia following a traumatic incident involving cheese. Symptoms of turophobia include feeling paralyzed, hyperventilating, dry heaving, and experiencing nausea when exposed to cheese.

Globophobia Or The Fear Of Balloons Popping

Globophobes are terrified of balloons or of the sound they make when popped. Although some people may find this phobia funny, for the sufferer, the terror experienced is no laughing matter. Globophobia is usually more common among children, but it can affect adults too. People usually develop this phobia following a traumatic incident involving balloons, such as having a balloon explode in their face. Oprah Winfrey reportedly suffers from globophobia.

Pogonophobia Or The Fear Of Beards

Pogonophobes can have a full-blown panic attack when they see someone with a beard. Thousands of people worldwide have reported having it. Experts believe people develop this phobia following a traumatic incident involving someone with a beard or by believing that bearded men are untrustworthy.

Geniophobia Or The Fear Of Chins

Geniophobes tend to be obsessed with chins. They can become fixated on the chins of people they are speaking with and may avoid people whose chins they consider deformed. Prominent chins or unusually shaped chins may invoke terror in them. People may develop this phobia after sustaining a chin injury that led them to fixate on this part of their body.

Hippopotomonstrosesquidepedaliophobia Or The Fear Of Long Words

Hippopotomonstrosesquidepedaliophobes feel anxious and scared when faced with long words. Most of them do not recall how their phobia began, but some psychotherapists theorize that others may have laughed at them for pronouncing long or difficult words incorrectly.

Sanguivoriphobia Or The Fear Of Vampires

Sanguivoriphobes fear blood-eating vampires. They also tend to be intensely afraid of other monsters, including werewolves, ghosts, and Big Foot. Some people with sanguivoriphobia even become paranoid that others around them are vampires.

Ablutophobia Or The Fear Of Bathing

Ablutophobes experience severe anxiety and dread when even just thinking about taking a bath or shower. This can make related activities, such as hand washing, a challenge. The phobia is more common among children but is experienced by adults as well. Ablutophobes may feel shame in some social contexts because in addition to struggling with their phobia, they may also be teased and mocked.

Anthophobia Or The Fear Of Flowers

Anthophobes are deathly afraid of flowers, including their petals, stems, roots, and leaves. They obsessively avoid flowers and anything that reminds them of flowers, including trees. Like most phobias, anthophobia develops following a traumatic incident involving flowers, such as getting stung by a wasp, attending the funeral of a loved one, or having an extreme allergic reaction.

Pentheraphobia Or The Fear Of Mothers-In-Law

Pentheraphobes have an extreme fear of their mother-in-law. The cause of this phobia is attributed to life-experiences, genetics, brain chemistry, and hereditary factors. When pentheraphobes think about their mother-in-law, they may experience feelings of intense dread and anxiety, excessive sweating, nausea, shaking, rapid breathing, and dry mouth.

Phobophobia Or The Fear Of Having A Phobia

Phobophobes suffer from an obsessive fear of developing a new phobia and may persistently experience hypervigilance and extreme anxiety. This phobia is usually caused by an early negative or traumatic experience. Symptoms include dry mouth, nausea, shaking, panic attacks, dizziness, severe anxiety, and fear.

Genuphobia Or The Fear Of Knees

Genuphobes are deeply afraid of knees. There are many possible causes of this phobia, but usually, the genophobe was traumatized by kneeling in childhood or finds knees to be extraordinarily hideous. People with this phobia tend to wear clothes that cover the knees at all times because even the sight of their own knees can lead them to have a panic attack.

Chrometophobia Or The Fear Of Money

Chrometophobes are intensely afraid of money. This includes any form of money, not just cash. Seeing money or having to deal with it can cause a full-blown panic attack for people with this phobia. It usually originates from traumatic early experiences involving money. Chrometophobia is a debilitating phobia and professional intervention may be required to break negative thinking patterns related to money.

Anatidaephobia Or The Fear Of Ducks

Anatideaphobia is an intense fear of being watched by a duck or goose. People with the phobia believe they are being watched by a duck or a goose even when they are not in the presence of one, and this causes deep terror and panic.