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What Are Phobias and How Common Are They?

Jun 17, 2014

Infographic of phobias

Phobia – From the Greek: Phóbos, meaning “fear” or “morbid fear”

Phobias: a persistent (and often irrational) fear of an object or situation. Greek physician Hippocrates (470-410 B.C.E.) first described phobias 500 years after Hippocrates, Roman doctor, Celsus used the word hydrophobia for a patient who feared water. Now there are 400 phobias recognized by the medical profession.

Top 10 Phobias

  1. Fear of public speaking – Glossophobia 74 %
  2. Fear of death – Necrophobia 68 %
  3. Fear of spiders – Arachnophobia 30.5 %
  4. Fear of darkness – Achluophobia,
  5. Scotophobia or Myctophobia 11 %
  6. Fear of heights – Acrophobia 10 %
  7. Fear of people or social situations
  8. Sociophobia 7.9 %
  9. Fear of flying – Aerophobia 6.5 %
  10. Fear of confined spaces – Claustrophobia 2.5 %
  11. Fear of open spaces – Agoraphobia 2.2 %
  12. Fear of thunder and lightning – Brontophobia 2 %

Celebrity Phobias

  • Scarlett Johansson: Ornithophobia – The fear of birds.
  • Orlando Bloom: Swinophobia – The fear of pigs.
  • Megan Fox: Bacteriaphobia – The fear of germs and bacteria.
  • Billy Bob Thornton: Chromophobia – The Fear of bright colors.
  • Madonna: Astraphobia – The fear of thunder and lightning.
  • Oprah Winfrey: Chiclephobia – The fear of chewing-gum.
  • Nicole Kidman: Lepidopterophobia – The fear of butterflies.

Phobias You May Not Have Heard Of

  • Anablephobia- Fear of looking up
  • Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single.
  • Bibliophobia- Fear of books.
  • Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting
  • Ephebiphobia- Fear of teenagers.
  • Genuphobia- Fear of knees
  • Hellenologophobia- Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.
  • Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms
  • Logizomechanophobia- Fear of computers.
  • Meningitophobia- Fear of brain disease.
  • Omphalophobia- Fear of belly buttons.
  • Phobophobia- Fear of phobias or fear.
    Source and many thanks to www.bestmastersincounseling.com/fear-phobias

Check out our TikTok channel, specifically the videos in our playlist on ‘Overcoming Your Phobia’ for more helpful hints and tips! Also – take a listen to our podcast ‘Making The Change’.

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