You may have heard of common phobias like fear of heights (acrophobia), clowns (coulrophobia) and flying (aerophobia). But did you know that there are types of phobias which can seem unbelievable, but actually do exist? Well, we have listed down 15 unusual phobias you might never have heard of in alphabetical order!
1) Alliumphobia: Fear Of Garlic
Just when you thought that only vampires hate garlic, there is actually a type of phobia where people fear this aromatic bulb! It has something to do with the strong pungent smell commonly associated with garlic, causing the person to experience shortness of breath, dry mouth and excessive sweating. Those who developed such a fear would also avoid other pungent foods like onion, clove, cumin and ginger.
2) Arachibutyrophobia: Fear Of Peanut Butter Getting Stuck To The Roof Of Your Mouth
You may have heard about common nut allergies. But having the fear of peanut sticking to the roof of a mouth? Yes, it actually exists and does happen to some people. The word itself is derived from the combination of two Greek words, which are “arachi” (groundnut) and “phobia” (fear). Depending on the person, this symptom can cause dread, anxiety and all kinds of panic attacks ranging from irregular heartbeat to shortness of breath and even nausea.
3) Arithmophobia: Fear Of Numbers
We get it. Some of us might hate math back in the school days. But arithmophobia? Developing fear of numbers is a whole different league altogether. That means the person who suffers arithmophobia can forget about buying lottery, anything involving any number games, or even working in the bank.
4) Chirophobia: Fear of Hands
Can you imagine if a person actually fear touching other people’s hands, let alone their own? It must be heartbreaking and this type of phobia may have been caused by a certain traumatic experience related to hands.
5) Dextrophobia: Fear Of Right Side
This unusual type of phobia is similar to an obsessive-compulsive disorder or commonly known as OCD. But in the case of dextrophobia, this OCD-like fear is more specific to one thing only: unable to embrace the fact that an object appears on the right side.
6) Eleutherophobia: Fear Of Freedom
Who doesn’t love the taste and smell of freedom? That ability to do whatever your heart desires with no restriction! But people who have eleutherophobia can’t stand the fact that they have freedom. They are generally more of a follower than a leader, which means they feel more comfortable taking orders and like to do as they are told.
7) Geliophobia: Fear Of Laughter
You know what they say about laughter is the best medicine. Laughter can also make you feel happy and reduce your stress level. But there are people who fear laughter. Which is sad, of course, since they can’t stand the fact of hearing other people laugh or giggle. It can make them feel uncomfortable and anxious as well.
8) Globophobia: Fear Of Balloons
Balloons are colourful and fun to play with. Not to mention that they help brighten up any space as well as special occasions like birthday parties, wedding anniversaries and corporate events. But there are people who actually fear balloons, commonly known as globophobia. They are generally afraid of balloons ranging from their presence to their popping. Here’s a little trivia: Did you know that Oprah Winfrey actually has globophobia?
9) Ideophobia: Fear Of Ideas
This type of phobia may deter a person from developing a career or even venturing into their own business. Put it this way, can you imagine if the person has difficulty accepting new ideas or suggestions? Those who suffer from ideophobia are generally living in their own comfort zone, as well as feeling isolated and lonely most of the time.
10) Kathisophobia: Fear Of Sitting Down
When you are tired and have been standing the whole day, you would want to take a seat. But those who suffer from kathisophobia do not share the same idea. They simply hate or feel uncomfortable sitting down, regardless of a chair, sofa or even on the floor.
11) Levophobia: Fear Of Left Side
Just like dextrophobia, levophobia is another type of OCD-like fear — this time unable to cope with the objects at the left side of their body.
12) Plutophobia: Fear Of Money
Now, who doesn’t love money? While some of us might argue that “money can’t buy happiness”, there are people who actually — believe it or not — fear money! Otherwise known as plutophobia, such people usually feel awful about anything associated with money and dread getting rich.
13) Sesquipedalophobia: Fear Of Long Words
Trying to pronounce the word “sesquipedalophobia” is already proving to be a mouthful! Which explains the meaning behind this phobia: fear of long words. You can imagine how the person would feel if he or she encounters long words commonly found in movies or TV subtitles, novels, textbooks or newspapers.
14) Siderophobia: Fear Of Stars
Ever heard of that wonderful phrase wishing upon a star? Apparently, not everyone shares the same opinion and this particularly applies to those who develop a fear of stars, otherwise known as siderophobia. This also means that the idea of stargazing is strictly out of the question.
15) Xanthophobia: Fear Of The Colour Or Word Yellow
What do things like a school bus, cheese, banana, butter and lemon have in common? They are all yellow in colour. They are supposed to be harmless and yet, those who suffer from xanthophobia actually fear this colour. Other colour-related phobias include leukophobia (fear of the colour white), melanophobia (fear the colour of black) and porphyrophobia (fear of the colour purple).
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