Phobias

There are lots of unusual phobias – some remarkably specific, e.g. fear of the number 8; and there's even "phobophobia" – a fear of phobias. Very chicken and egg.

Woman diagnosed with panphobia, from Alexander Morison’s 1843 book The Physiognomy of Mental Diseases

A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias may develop for a variety of reasons: childhood experiences, past traumatic experiences, brain chemistry, genetics or learned behaviour.

Here is a selection of some of the more unusual phobias:

• Alektorophobia: fear of chickens

• Apeirophobia: fear of infinity, eternity, and the uncountable

• Arachibutyrophobia: fear of having peanut butter stick to the roof of your mouth [Ed: Hmm … quite specific]

• Arithmophobia: fear of numbers

• Atelophobia: fear of imperfection

• Atychiphobia: fear of failure

• Aurophobia: fear of gold [Ed: Really?]

• Autophobia: fear of being alone

• Belonephobia: fear of pins and needles

• Carcinophobia: fear of cancer

• Cherophobia: fear of happiness [Ed: Best get over that one]

• Chorophobia: fear of dancing

• Coimetrophobia: fear of cemeteries

• Consecotaleophobia: fear of chopsticks

• Coprophobia: fear of faeces or defecation

• Coulrophobia: fear of clowns See “Clowns” [RR5:17].

• Dentophobia: fear of dentists

• Emetophobia: fear of vomiting

• Frigophobia: fear of becoming too cold

• Genuphobia: fear of knees or the act of kneeling

• Gephyrophobia: fear of crossing bridges [Ed: One of Remo’s … when driving]

• Globophobia: fear of balloons

• Halitophobia: fear of bad breath

• Keraunothnetophobia: fear of falling satellites

• Koumpounophobia: fear of buttons on clothing

• Leukophobia: fear of the colour white

• Nomophobia: fear of being out of mobile phone contact [Ed: Yes, really]

• Octophobia: fear of the number 8

• Omphalophobia: fear of belly buttons

• Ophthalmophobia: fear of being stared at

• Optophobia: fear of opening one’s eyes [Ed: Wins the prize for most inconvenient]

• Panphobia: fear of everything or constant fear of an unknown cause [Ed: A really bad one to have]

• Papaphobia: fear of the pope

• Papyrophobia: fear of paper

• Paruresis: fear of urinating in public places or in the presence of others, aka “shy bladder syndrome”

• Pediophobia: fear of dolls

• Pentheraphobia: fear of mothers-in-law

• Phagophobia: fear of swallowing

• Phobophobia: fear of phobias [Ed: Our favourite]

• Pogonophobia: fear of beards

• Pterpnophobia: fear of being tickled with feathers. See “Tickle Torture” [RR2:74].

• Samhainophobia: fear of Halloween

• Teratophobia: fear of giving birth to a monster or a disfigured fetus

• Trypophobia: fear of clustered patterns of holes

• Turophobia: fear of cheese

• Venustraphobia: fear of beautiful women

• Zoophobia: fear of animals

… and Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia: fear of the number 666 [Ed: another specific phobia] – pronunciation guide below

---

Videos

---

REMORANDOM Book Chapter

Phobias are featured in REMORANDOM 2