Phobia, a word that gives you a shiver every time you say it, speaks for itself. A phobia can be an irrational fear of an object, but also of a situation or a living thing (mostly animals). In most cases, a person with a phobia will meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific fear, which is basically a type of anxiety.
Usually, people who have had a bad experience with heights or specific animals (mostly dogs) will be terrified from now on, and they will tend to avoid the main source of fear. Do you have any specific phobias? If so, then how have you been managing it?
In this article, we will present you with 13 rare phobias that you’d never heard of.
1. Nomophobia (Fear of losing one’s phone)
This one is definitely one of the weirdest fears in the world! People who are confronted with this particular fear are terrified if they are not close to their phone or if the phone has a low battery. People like this will experience symptoms of anxiety and might also have panic attacks.
Recent studies have shown that this particular fear is becoming more common lately because people are becoming more and more addicted to their phones. Crazy, right? How many times do you check your phone throughout the day?
2. Xanthophobia (Fear of the color yellow)
This phobia is the fear of the color yellow, and this is definitely a rare one. People with xanthophobia will avoid this particular color, even if it’s about a sweater, a school bus, or various types of yellow food. Imagine that. I really wouldn’t want to be in their shoes!
Unfortunately, this fearfulness will interfere with everyday life since yellow things can be easily found everywhere.
3. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter)
This one might be thrilling for some but terrifying for others. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. What? Even if this is beyond my comprehension, this weird fear is actually very serious and may vary from person to person. Some people are able to eat just a little bit of peanut butter, while others are really afraid of choking, so they avoid it completely.
Do you love peanut butter? I personally do so, so not eating it would be so sad.
4. Arithmophobia (Fear of math)
Were you afraid of your math classes when you were younger? I definitely was! Most of the teachers were pretty mean to us, and they wanted us to learn many formulas in a short period of time. awful, right? People who are dealing with this particular fear usually experience anxiety and a fear of seeing the numbers on a screen or in a notebook.
In most cases, people who have arithmophobia are afraid to actually calculate.
5. Plutophobia (Fear of money)
We talked about a phobia related to math and numbers, but what about plutophobia, which is the fear of money? Who knew?! People who have this fear are sabotaging their careers and avoiding making more money just because they don’t know how to handle it.
This might have roots in the past when the person was a victim of a robbery. Would you be afraid of becoming wealthy?
Have you ever thought about any of these particular fears? Or did you know they existed?Â
6. Ergophobia (Fear of work)
This might seem hilarious, but it is actually more than a serious problem. Lots of people tend to have extreme anxieties when it comes to their workplace or their work environment. Some of them are not able to find a job or they tend to quit very easily.
Unfortunately, we all need jobs in order to survive and maintain a decent life, but what if some people are having trouble focusing when they need to focus on doing something?
This type of fright may lead to burnout, which is again a very serious issue, but it can be treatable if you accept going to a psychologist.
7. Chaetophobia (Fear of hair)
I could NOT believe my eyes when I saw this, but weirdly enough, this fear actually exists! People with chaetophobia are afraid of a hairball on the ground or of combing their hair.
This phobia has its roots in a traumatic experience involving hair, and the most common examples are a bad haircut or losing too much hair by going bald. Ugh!
Does anything scare you this much? Tell us in the comments.
8. Globophobia (Fear of balloons)
Who knew that there could be people out there who were afraid of balloons? This aversion is as real as possible, and the level of fear varies from person to person, and most of them avoid them completely. This fear is huge because some of them are terrified of seeing a balloon, even on TV.
This particular horror can be linked to the fear of clowns (named coulrophobia), and the two come together often. Poor kids! Imagine having this fear while you are at a birthday party where there are so many balloons. This is awful.
9. Ablutophobia (Fear of bathing)
This fear is the fear of washing and usually occurs in children, but it can still be present in adults. People with ablutophobia avoid bathing, which, of course, will lead to an unpleasant smell, and they tend to isolate themselves.
The level of anxiety that these people experience while bathing tends to be extreme, and they prefer to avoid it completely. This dread is also linked to aquaphobia, which is the fear of water and may result from a traumatic experience.
10. Eisoptrophobia (Fear of mirrors)Â
This fear is actually the fear of seeing yourself in the mirror. Looking into a mirror might be unpleasant for some people, especially if they don’t feel confident in themselves. This habit can be depressing and may require some professional help. It’s usually found among women over 55 years of age.
Eisoptrophobia may also be the fear of breaking a mirror, just because people tend to believe this will bring them bad luck.
11. ​Zoophobia (Fear of animals)Â
Yes! Some people are afraid of animals, which can be terrifying, especially if you live in a neighborhood with a lot of dogs or cats. Those individuals who are afraid of animals, in general, tend to stay indoors most of the time.
The symptoms of this particular fear include excessive sweating every time they see an animal crossing the street, dizziness, and shallow breathing. Crazy, right?
12. Ombrophobia (Fear of rain)Â
Rain can be peaceful, especially if you are indoors reading or watching something on TV. But what if you are afraid of some meteorological events? Some people are, for sure!
Ombrophobia is the fear of rain, and recent studies have shown that people with this particular fear are weather-related, which means they are capable of understanding natural disasters or the potential dangers associated with bad weather.
13. Emetophobia (Fear of vomiting)Â
Studies have shown that people who have this fear have it simply because vomiting in front of other people may be embarrassing. Certain smells or simply looking at some foods can trigger this particular fear. Weird, right? What do you think of this?
If you enjoyed reading this article, we also recommend reading: 18 Insane Things You’ll Only See in America.
