The Top 10 Strangest Phobias

By: Isabella Phillips, Journalist

 

“January 15th 2008 – Visited Upon the Son” by Stephen Poff is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Source: Stephen Poff)

Yes, we all have fears. But you would be surprised at what some people are afraid of!

10. Plutophobia – The fear of money

Strange, isn’t it? Most people strive to have a good income, and cherish the money they have. But a select few want nothing to do with it. They tend to avoid situations involving money. In extreme cases, some people even ruin their careers to avoid money.

9. Anthrophobia- The fear of flowers

Yes, that’s right. The fear of delicate, quick dying things that bloom in the spring. What’s interesting is that most people with this phobia know that flowers can’t hurt them, but that doesn’t stop the fear whenever they see them. So be careful men, next time you bring a new lady flowers, make sure she isn’t afraid of them.

8. Batophobia- The fear of being near tall buildings

People with this phobia absolutely can’t stand near tall buildings, or even be in big cities like New York. They worry about the buildings falling down on them. With engineering today, those buildings are sturdy and people affected by batophobia have nothing to worry about!

7. Domatophobia- The fear of houses

The fear of a place where you live, make memories, and grow up. This can be caused by a bad upbringing, or if someone hears about theft or murders in houses, and they no longer feel safe inside their home.

6. Leukophobia- The fear of the color white

White is the color of peace and clarity, yet some people freak when they see it. Even hearing the word white can cause them to have full blown panic attacks, and they often avoid anything white.

5. Nomophobia- The fear of being without your phone

Social media has taken over our world, so it’s no surprise that people fear being away from their phones. Phones have been so integrated into our minds that we feel like leaving our phones at home is just awful. People with this phobia can have extreme anxiety when their phone is low battery, without service, or not with them.

4. Arachibutyrophobia- The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth

This is a very specific and somewhat silly fear, but it’s the real deal. People suffering from this phobia fear that they could choke on peanut butter if it gets stuck in their mouth, and most avoid peanut butter because of that.

3. Hippopotomonstosesquippadaliophobia- The fear of long words

The poor people with this fear can’t even tell people their scientific phobia. The fear of long words is one you have probably never heard of, and it’s certainly not common. People with this ailment fear pronouncing long words wrong in public, and most often stray from using such words. People with dyslexia also suffer from this phobia, because their condition only worsens the chance of misspeaking or reading.

2. Linonophobia- The fear of strings

You see right. The fear of strings, which can be caused by trauma of being restrained or kidnapped, or even watching people on TV who go through these events. These people will avoid strings at all cost; no matter the size. Shoelaces, sowing string, and yarn are all harmless objects, but people will have anxiety and panic attacks upon their sight.

1. Omphalophobia- The fear of belly buttons

Belly buttons are non moving, completely harmless parts of your body. But for some people, belly buttons are disgusting, terrifying things that shouldn’t exist. People who suffer from this phobia won’t look at their’s or anyone else’s belly buttons, and most certainly will not touch them. This phobia can be caused by childhood trauma such as poking your belly button with a sharp object, learning that it was attached to your mother’s umbilical cord, or fearing that if prodded too much, your guts will spill out from your belly button.

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