10 Weird Phobias You Won't Believe Exists

10 Weird Phobias You Won't Believe Exists

Fear is nature's avoidance mechanism, forcing us to face the possible outcomes of our actions so that we don't do stupid things like walk into oncoming traffic. In practical terms, fear is just the flow of thoughts, a way to trigger our fight-or-flight mechanism. When the things we fear start causing anxiety and start affecting our daily lives, we refer to them as phobias. Most are pretty normal, like arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, because spiders are the stuff nightmares are made of. On the other hand, some phobias are really weird, and might not make sense, although they do to the person experiencing them.

1. Spectrophobia

Fear of One's Own Reflection

Often known as Eisoptrophobia, Spectrophobia is a self-actualized fear. A patient suffering from this dread avoids mirrors and fears seeing one's reflection in it. One of the major reasons for the phobia is Schizophrenia. People with this medical condition have deep scars in their persona, and their reflection reminds them of these scars and makes them miserable. Sometimes moles and other marks resulting from unfortunate events in one's past can lead to this phobia. Spectrophobia is often related to Phasmophobia or fear of ghosts in which a person believes that some malignant ghosts can harm them. Luckily, the symptoms of Spectrophobia are distinguishable and once identified, can be treated easily.

2. Nephophobia

Fear of Clouds

One of the rarest of phobias; Nephophobia sufferers prefer staying indoors. The phobia is often related to Nebulaphobia - a fear of clouds and fog, and Homichlophobia - a fear of humidity or fog. The condition arises due to the amalgamated effects of dreadful external events and internal genetic make-up of a person. The typical symptoms of Nephophobia include rapid heartbeat, anxiety, nausea, excessive sweating and irregular breathing.

3. Neophobia or Cainotophobia

Fear of New Things

This phobia ranges from an inability to try new things to withdrawal from regular routine. The main sufferers are young children, who want the small part of the world they're already familiar with to stay constant, and prefer not to deal with the rest of the world, to elderly people who are set in their habits and prefer not to change them under any circumstances. Some conservative groups are also categorized as Neophobic, as they claim to preserve their traditions, and fear the changing world around them.

4. Genophobia

Fear of Sexual Relationships

Genophobia sufferers experience panic or even terror when faced with a situation where they are expected to become romantically or sexually active. They will suffer a shortness of breath, increased heartbeat, and many other symptoms of anxiety. As a result developing strong and healthy relationships is very difficult for Genophobia sufferers, leading to feelings of loneliness and often depression. The root causes for the phobia are unknown, but it's often seen in people who have been sexually abused in their childhood.

5. Coulrophobia

Fear of Clowns

Many patients suffering from fear of clowns understand that their dread is illogical, but they cannot escape this condition. The swollen red nose, filthy appearance and uncommon hair of clowns are the major causes for the condition. Besides, any bad experience with clowns or seeing a menacing one on TV also exacerbates this fear.

6. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

Fear of Long Words

The term Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is derived from 'Hippopotamus' and a 'Monster-related' long word, and, in our opinion, is quite mean to the sufferers themselves, who would fear the very name of the phobia they suffer from. A recent study found that almost 5% of the population suffers from Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, and common symptoms include anxiety, clammy hands and trembling.

7. Ablutophobia

Fear of Bathing

Although uncommon, this phobia arises mainly in women and children as a result of past trauma related to bathing and cleanliness, and can be absolutely devastating to the afflicted. In our modern society where cleanliness and hygiene are a must, sufferers of Ablutophobia are often ostracized and outcast. When faced with their fear, the symptoms are often a loss of control, dizziness and feeling sick.

8. Heliophobia or Vampire Madness

Fear of Sunlight

In many cases this fear is self-developed. People try to stay away from the sun to avoid skin cancer, caused by the ultraviolet radiation of the sun. These people start living an 'owl's' life and prefer staying in-house.

9. Panphobia

Fear of Everything

Imagine living in a world so hostile that you had to always be on guard. That guy sipping his coffee in the corner? Yeah, he works for the government, and he's been following you for the past few weeks. You see, they're on to you, and they're in the process of collecting evidence against you. What about those two people crossing the road? Did one of them just look at you and snicker? They're obviously talking about you, you know. Maybe they're plotting something!

 As you could imagine, the life of a Panphobe (or Pantophobe, or Omniphobe), is very stressful. They're constantly on guard, they constantly feel threatened, and often their delusions can lead to a form of schizophrenia. One of the toughest phobias to treat, Panphobia confounds medical practitioners precisely because the fear is only in the mind of the beholder, and not something real.

10. Arachibutyrophobia

Fear of Peanut Butter Sticking to the Roof of the Mouth

Apparently there are people who have the very specific fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of their mouths. We would advise to simply avoid peanut butter altogether, but you never know when you might find yourself in need of a peanut-butter sandwich. The sooner this condition is diagnosed, the easier it is to cure with the help of advanced medications.