25 strange phobias that really exist (26 photos)

Phobias are not jokes. Most often they are caused by childhood trauma and they are very difficult to cure. The most famous phobias are fear confined spaces, fear of heights, fear of the dark, fear of flight, trypophobia (fear of clustered holes). But there is also many other obsessive fears that prevent people from living.





1. Zoophobia - fear of animals



It is one of the three most common phobias. If your heart starts pounding at the sight of a dog on the street if you avoid going to visit friends who have pets, it can indicate that you have some form of zoophobia.

Usually people are not afraid of all animals in a row (such occurs, but very rarely), but some specific one. Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders) are the most common. a little less often - cynophobia (fear of dogs) and entomophobia (fear of insects).

2. Hetophobia - fear of hair





People with Chaetophobia have a strong aversion to hair, physical nausea from touching them or even being near them. For someone, stress is caused by separate knocked-out hairstyles hairs or strands of hair, and someone is afraid of hair in general and keeps away from people with long manes, Afro-braids, dreadlocks or very thick hair. This may be due to a fear of germs, dirt, or lice.

3. Pogonophobia - fear of a beard



Pogonophobes feel intense anxiety when they are around bearded man. They link facial hair to poverty or homelessness, and consider people with beards dirty or sick.

Fear can also arise for another reason: in bearded men part of the face is closed, and in pogonophobes this is associated with something mysterious, unreliable, or malicious. What can I say life Pogonophobia is not easy.

4. Chorophobia - fear of dancing



Unlike most other phobias that arise in as a result of a traumatic experience, chorophobia can be caused by other reasons: brought up in a strict religious family, where dancing is considered sin, or a strong fear of being touched. Constant anxiety and withdrawal many of our usual social contacts can destroy our whole life person.

5. Omphalophobia - fear of the navel



This is the so-called specific phobia - a phobia that focuses on one small detail. People are afraid of navels, and this fear completely irrational. The person seems to understand that this is so, but can't do anything. Omphalophobes are afraid that the navel may somehow untie itself, causing severe pain or even death. This thought constantly oppresses them and does not let go.

6. Fear of pickled cucumbers



Sounds like a joke, but some people have only the mention of pickled cucumbers causes a terrible panic. Most often this occurs due to acerophobia - fear of sour. But sometimes the source fear is also the way a cucumber looks. Basically, it's hard not to laugh. over how someone screams, cries and runs away, colliding with a small pickled vegetable, but in fact, a phobia is not very funny.

7. Erythrophobia - fear of blushing



Erythrophobes are very afraid of blushing because of the embarrassment that causes them anxiety and panic. And this, in turn, causes redness of the face or chest, which causes embarrassment - and so on in a circle. This phobia can lead to long-term depression and anxiety disorders, however, fortunately, many people eventually overcome it.

8. Atelophobia - fear of imperfection



If a person is too critical of himself, if he has a feeling, that he is not good enough (so-called impostor syndrome), then he unlikely to reach its full potential. Also, he can suffer from atelophobia. It's not just about perfectionism. Atelophobe afraid to make even one small and insignificant mistake, which is why avoid any situation in whichthere is an opportunity to do it.

The reasons for this phobia lie, most likely, in the strict upbringing. A man who grew up in an atmosphere of constant criticism, begins to perceive himself as if he always "falls short". A certain rigor in the upbringing of children is needed, but you can not go too far stick.

9. Urophobia - fear of urine or urination



It is believed that this is a form of microphobia. Urophobia can be different: you can be afraid of other people's urine, your own urine, or both another. Irrational fear and anxiety are frustrating and can make the necessary trips to the toilet are an almost traumatic experience. And about to to have a pet, such as a dog or a cat, cannot be speech.

10. Nomophobia - the fear of not having a smartphone



Nomophobia is a new phobia that has evolved as society's dependence on technology. Man is so afraid to be alone without communication, reading news and the ability to communicate in social networks, which is not releases the smartphone from the hands.

There's another reason why people get addicted off her phones and she has nothing to do with mental problems. It's dopamine. Whenever you browse social media, check mail or receive a message, a small dose is released dopamine, which acts like a drug and causes euphoria. In fact, nomophobia is an addiction, not a fear.

11. Thanatophobia - fear of death



People with Thanophobia have a very strong fear of death. or the process of dying. They also tend to fear the death of others. people they know or care about. Most often thanatophobes - are those who have experienced the traumatic death of a loved one or become witnessing someone's death.

12. Somniphobia - fear of sleep



Somniphobia (hypnophobia) is not so much the fear of sleep as fear of falling asleep. Because something can happen to you in a dream bad: a nightmare or sleep paralysis or some other trouble.

Fear of these things can cause insomnia, stress, anxiety and lead to somniphobia. Sleep becomes intermittent, appear physical problems and diseases, life expectancy is reduced.

13. Chromophobia - color phobia



People with color phobia can be afraid of all colors, but most often We are talking about bright colors that stand out well. Usually a person is afraid one or two colors. Common examples are fear of yellow (xanthophobia) and fear of purple (porphyriaphobia).

This type of phobia is usually associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. disorder, autism, or Asperger's syndrome. For Asperger's Syndrome or autism, it is almost impossible to understand what causes a phobia. At post-traumatic stress disorder, it is likely that what caused injury, was associated with a certain color.

14. Coulrophobia - fear of clowns



It's strange how widespread this fear is. clowns should be a symbol of fun, should bring happiness and joy as children as well as adults. But people with coulrophobia tend to see under bright clown mask or make-up of some terrible villains. In general, this fear that what is hidden under the mask is not at all what is drawn on it.

15. Cenophobia - fear of open spaces



Unlike agoraphobia, the fear of being trapped and not get out of it, kenophobia is the fear of being in the open space or void. For example, in an empty arena before a concert or in a large empty hall, in an open field or pasture. In such places the cenophobe feels completely unprotected and may begin to panic attack.

16. Arachibutyrophobia - fear of peanut butter



People with this phobia do not risk eating peanut butter because obsessive fear that it will stick to the palate and cause suffocation. The disorder may arise if a person once saw how someone with a peanut allergy had an allergic reaction and started suffocate. Or the person just has a general fear of suffocation. He is afraid choke and the process itselfTanya becomes difficult for him.

17. Phyctofabriphobia - fear of fictional characters



Phyctofabriphobia - fear of fictional characters; usually It is formed in childhood when children are read bedtime stories. child brain assimilates information at an astonishing rate. And a child can believe in reality of the character, especially if the parents tell him that he exists. Examples - Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Brownie, etc. As growing up, most people stop believing in their existence, but there are times when this does not happen.

18. Plutophobia - fear of money



Plutophobia is the fear of money, wealth, or rich people. Even not money as such, but everything connected with them: responsibility and problems. If a plutophobe needs to manage a large amount and carry for it responsibility, it can cause him feelings of anxiety and panic. A good example is lottery winners who manage to squander all winnings and be at the bottom.

19. Ablutophobia - fear of swimming



Ablutophobia is an intense fear of bathing, showering or washing. Mostly this fear occurs in young children, although it may to torment an adult who has experienced something related to bathing traumatic event in childhood. Fortunately, most people growing up get rid of this phobia.

20. Gelotophobia - fear of laughter



Gelatophobes experience intense anxiety at the sound of laughter and trying to avoid situations in which someone laughs. It's neurotic the disorder is associated with a fear of ridicule.

In the vast majority of cases, people with gelotophobia think that if someone is laughing, then he is laughing at them.

21. Hippopotatomonstroseskippedaliophobia - fear of long words



It is believed that this is one of the social phobias. She can arise, for example, from traumatic experiences in childhood or adolescence, when a person read aloud and was laughed at because he mispronounced an unknown long word. Some believe that such a phobia does not exist and it is all fiction. But she is real.

22. Heliophobia - fear of sunlight



Fear of sunlight is different from photosensitivity, which is basically an allergy to UV rays. Heliophobes, even in a nightmare, cannot imagine that you can go outside in daylight. This is a serious disease no matter how ridiculous it may seem, and can lead to the fact that a person will never be able to live a normal life.

23. Eisoptrophobia - fear of mirrors



People with eisoptrophobia are very afraid of mirrors and reflections in them. They have an irrational fear that comes from superstition or urban legends associated with mirrors. For example, "if you break mirror - expect trouble", "if you call Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror in dark room, her spirit will appear and kill you." Or maybe they're just Watched too many horror movies.

24. Panophobia - fear of everything



Panophobia is a generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder. It's a generic term for the state constant anxiety and panic. Panophobic is a person who is convinced that something terrible will happen to him and it's only a matter of time.

25. Phobophobia - fear of phobias or fear



Even the title makes it clear what it is about! Man with it disorder is very afraid of having some kind of phobia. It could be caused by a negative event from the past associated with a feeling of fear. AND now man is always waiting for the fear to return.