On fears and phobias

We commonly use “arachnophobia” to label someone’s fear of spiders, or describe our avid hand-sanitizing friends as “germaphobes.” But less commonly-known phobias are even quirkier—like “pteronophobia” – the fear of being tickled by feather, or “arachibutyrophobia,” which coins the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. Try saying that with a mouthful of peanut butter.

The fear of small spaces or feeling trapped
is commonly called "claustrophobia"

No matter the scare, fears are fascinating concepts and everyone has them. However, fears and phobias are not the same. A phobia can develop when a human’s fear becomes attached to his or her emotions, often causing extreme physical reactions, like sweating, crying, or panic attacks.

According to Guy Baglow, a phobia specialist and founder of the UK’s leading phobia clinic, “approximately 10 percent of people have a phobia. It's a very human thing.”

“This is the basis of a phobia: a fear response attached to something that was present in the original trauma,” he says. “It can get stuck to literally anything - animal, mineral or vegetable. It may not even be glued to the thing that caused the trauma.” In other words, someone who was bitten by a snake inside a small cave, may develop “claustrophobia” instead of the fear of snakes, or “ophidiophobia.”

After claustrophobia, the second most common phobia for both men and women is the fear of social situations, labeled “social phobia.” Like many phobias, this can develop during childhood and is often reinforced through culture and one’s environment.

Phobias shouldn’t be taken lightly. Calling someone a “scaredy cat” and a “phobic” are two completely different accusations, though we often use the terms loosely. If you want to avoid stacking on the pounds this holiday season like most Americans, that doesn’t mean you are “obesophobic.” Even if you may admit to dreading other family members like your parents-in-law, that doesn’t make you “soceraphobic.”

Cluck. Cluck. Even a phobia of
chickens could inhibit one's life.

Phobias can be restricting. Don’t order Chinese take-out if you have “consecotaleophobia” – the phobia of chopsticks. Avoid the county fair if you have “alektorophobia,” or fear of chickens. And life will get extremely difficult if you develop “cathisophobia” – the phobia of sitting.

So, can we evade phobias like these as we go about our lives?

Fear not! The answer is yes. It all comes down to how we handle stress and our emotions. At a basic level, if you take care of the frightful feelings behind the actual “thing” that causes you anxiety, phobias are less likely to take over your life. At their worse, they can be handled by physiological therapy and healed through various treatments that attempt to detach the traumatic memory from its emotional object or situation.

Perhaps the healthiest phobia to have is “phobophobia” – the fear of phobias.

For a complete list of phobias, visit The Phobia List.

Note: Tori is not a doctor; she simply came across a giant list of phobias and thought it would be fun to write about. She has slight “selachophobia,” ever since watching Jaws, but has never felt any “graphophobia,” which might keep her from maintaining this blog. 

Photos by Tori Masucci