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Does standing on the fifth-floor balcony give you weak knees? Is the mere mention of spiders enough to make you scream? Or maybe you can’t stay in a room without at least one lamp?
Don’t worry, you are not alone; we all have our fears. In fact, scientists state that fear is one of the most human emotions, one that comes from ancient times. Those who claim they fear nothing either don’t want to reveal their weak spots or haven’t discovered what terrifies them yet.
“Phobia” comes from Greek and translates as “fear.” Scientists use this word to name fears of various things – for example, claustrophobia, which is the fear of closed spaces. Phobias can vary significantly between something pretty understandable, like a fear of snakes (ophidiophobia), to something rather weird, let’s say, a fear of long words. You might think the person is making it up the first time you hear about it.
Why would anyone be afraid of words, and what’s so scary about long words specifically? Yet this phenomenon exists, and we should respect other people’s fears. Remember that somebody might not understand why you are afraid of flying. It might sound ironic, but the scientific name for the fear of long words consists of 35 (thirty-five!) letters.
Arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, is probably the most common phobia, alongside fear of snakes, heights, and flying. It is estimated that at least one in three women and one in four men are afraid of spiders. It is difficult to say what the rarest phobias are, but some weird examples include fear of clothing, fear of beards, and fear of work (I think now and then we all have this phobia at least a bit).
There are various reasons why people develop phobias, and scientists are still studying the deeper roots and possible treatments. But if you want to learn all about phobias that sound rather weird, read about them in our article. If you are feeling courageous today, let us know in the comments what your greatest fear is.
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What do you think ?
Froggi Juice 3 years ago (edited)
I didn't see mine, so I present to you, Lepidopterophobia, the fear of moths and butterfly's. They have always made me uneasy since I was young but it all really started to take full shape after getting a surprise visitor in the shower, followed by 2 months of a fun moth invasion during quarantine..... I was a wreck.
Froggi Juice 3 years ago (edited)
I didn't see mine, so I present to you, Lepidopterophobia, the fear of moths and butterfly's. They have always made me uneasy since I was young but it all really started to take full shape after getting a surprise visitor in the shower, followed by 2 months of a fun moth invasion during quarantine..... I was a wreck.
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