Everyone is afraid of something or the other and that’s quite all right. But sometimes the fear of a certain thing becomes so intense, that it transforms into a phobia. It is then, no longer just about you being afraid. When faced with that situation, object or being, you panic and feel like you are losing control. Here’s a compilation of the weirdest of phobias one could possibly develop.
1. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – The fear of long words
Whoever named this phobia was certainly in the mood for some humour. As ironic as it may sound, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words. People who suffer from this phobia feel anxious and panicky when they come across really big words.
2. Deipnophobia – The fear of dinner parties
A branch of sociophobia (the fear of social gatherings), in Deipnophobia the person is afraid of dining with people and holding conversations with them alongside. So, someone with this phobia prefers eating alone. If that isn’t possible, they try to get done with the gathering as soon as possible.
3. Peladophobia – The fear of bald people
This may be the result of an unpleasant experience in the life of a person. People who developed this phobia are afraid of bald people. In some cases, peladophobes are scared of becoming bald themselves, instead of being freaked out by other people who are bald.
4. Anablephobia – The fear of looking up
It may sound a tad weird but there are people who are afraid of looking up. People who suffer from this phobia may experience panic, anxiety, excessive sweating and an elevated heart rate when faced with such a situation.
5. Chaetophobia – The fear of hair
A fear of hair, this is usually developed due to a bad experience with hair or a hairy person. The brain remembers this incident and reacts with panic and dread when the person sees hair or someone with who has too much of it.
6. Caligynephobia – The fear of attractive women
As unbelievable as it may sound, people experiencing this phobia tend to get scared of beautiful women. This may develop as a result of multiple failed relationships with attractive women. A person suffering from this phobia may avoid attractive women and may panic in their presence.
7. Omphalophobia – The fear of navels
Some people tend to have a bad connection with the belly button and they eventually develop a phobia. They freak out if they have to touch their own or someone else’s navel. While it seems quite harmless to the rest of the world, just the thought of this makes them shiver.
8. Chrometophobia – The fear of money
In this age, when people value money more than relationships and are chasing it 24 X 7, there are a few who can’t bear the sight of it. People who suffer from this phobia may prefer being homeless as opposed to handling money.
9. Nomophobia – The fear of being without a mobile phone
Today, when we depend so much on our smart phones, this is a fairly common phobia to experience. In this case, the nomophobe dreads living without a mobile phone or in a place where their phone is unable to receive any signal. While we all freak out when we don’t have our phones with us, this is something extreme.
