Everyone’s afraid of something. For some, however, that fear is taken to another level entirely. This heightened fear is referred to as a “phobia” – a word that comes from the Greek word phobos, which translates to fear. According to Harvard Medical School, a phobia is “a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation.” They also mention that it is a type of anxiety disorder, stating that, “a person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress.” Some phobias are more common than others. For example, sidonglobophobia, the fear of cotton balls, is far less common than arachnophobia, the fear of spiders.
According to one source, cynophobia, the fear of dogs is one of the most common phobias. “Cyno” comes from the Greek word for dog. Cleveland Clinic states that cynophobes “may have severe anxiety or a full panic attack when hearing a dog bark, watching a movie about a dog, or going to a place where a dog might be.” Interestingly enough, a fear of animals is one of the most common types of phobias.
Additionally, agoraphobia, the fear of public places is quite common. Literally translated, agoraphobia means fear of the marketplace. However, it is just a fear of crowded public spaces in general. One source mentions that “a person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave environments they know or consider to be safe.” This phobia can become so extreme that an individual will refuse to leave their house for days, months, or even years on end.
Another common fear, acrophobia, is the intense fear of heights. Situations that an individual with acrophobia may fear include being at the top of a building, looking over a balcony, going on a rollercoaster, or flying in an airplane. Approximately three to six percent of individuals have a fear of heights.
Ophidiophobia, coming from the Greek ophis, or serpent, is the irrational fear of snakes. A general fear of snakes is relatively common, but having a phobia of snakes takes simple fear to another level. A person with ophidiophobia may experience anxiety and panic symptoms when they so much as hear about a snake. The American Academy of Audiology states that “approximately half of the population feels “anxious” about snakes,” but a “whopping three percent of the population meet the criteria for snake phobia.”
One source claims that arachnophobia, or the irrational fear of spiders, is the “top” phobia of all time. Similar to ophidiophobia, a fear of spiders is quite common. Sometimes, arachnophobia may interfere with an individual’s ability to function correctly. Interestingly enough, Cleveland Clinic states that arachnophobia is more common in females than males. Additionally, approximately three to fifteen percent of the population has arachnophobia.
Are you affected by a phobia? Do you have any of the common phobias on this list? Feel free to share your phobias in the comments!
