Editor’s note: This light-hearted 2014 piece is not medical advice. Anyone whose life is affected by a phobia should seek help from a qualified professional.
There are many types of phobia, and some of them affect only a very small number of people. Here are 8 of the most unusual phobias that some people suffer from.
1. Nomophobia
Topping the list is a recent phobia that is more common than you might think and grows out of our modern technology habits. Nomophobia is the feeling of anxiety that comes over us when our mobile phone battery is running low, when we leave our smartphone at home, or even when the battery is full but we know that after a few hours of heavy use it will run out and we won’t have the charger to hand because we are away from home. More than 40% of mobile phone users are said to suffer from nomophobia today.
2. Ancraophobia or anemophobia
Both terms describe the fear of wind. People with this phobia feel anxious outdoors or when they are near an open window. It is still not known what causes this strange phobia, which can even show up when using a hair dryer.
3. Spectrophobia
The fear of mirrors and of our own reflection in them. This phobia can appear temporarily after watching a horror film, although in some cases it is permanent, in people who are constantly afraid of looking in a mirror in case some kind of figure or ghost appears in it. In other cases it is also put down to low self-esteem, from being unhappy with our own physical appearance.
4. Ablutophobia
Ablutophobia is the fear of cleaning, washing or bathing. It is not a very common phobia, but it tends to appear more often in children and women. It is not a fear of water, but a fear of being clean and washed.
5. Chorophobia
This is the fear of dancing, and in the cases where this phobia clearly shows itself, not even alcohol can fix it. It is also linked to a fear of any event or situation that has to do with dancing, so the person would be unable to go to a concert or a dance hall even as a spectator.
6. Arachibutyrophobia
This is probably the strangest of all, given that it is a terrible fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. As with other phobias, the symptoms include panic, dread, anxiety and even shortness of breath. The first patients diagnosed with this kind of phobia were initially tested for a possible allergy to the product, but the tests came back negative. It was simply a phobia.
7. Allodoxaphobia
A very common phobia, the term is used for the fear of opinions. These people stay quiet and never give an opinion for fear that others will disagree, and they live in constant panic about other people’s critical opinions of them.
8. Optophobia
Optophobia is the fear of opening your eyes. Strangely enough, there are people who are afraid to open their eyes. In this case there is usually a psychological explanation: many of the people who have suffered from this phobia developed it after witnessing a tragic accident. On other occasions it is a fear of opening their eyes because they imagine they will find their partner kissing or hugging someone else. Although it may seem a mild phobia, these people often suffer panic attacks, nausea and vomiting. The most effective remedy found so far has been hypnotherapy.
As you can see, there are phobias for every taste.
Featured image: Shisma, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
