You are probably aware of phobias such as agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) or claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces). As debilitating as they are, it’s probably possible to avoid triggers at least most of the time. But what if you suffer from somniphobia – and you’re afraid of falling asleep? Or omphalophobia – fear of the navel?
It’s difficult to imagine living with those – here are some more strange and fascinating phobias you probably didn’t even know existed…
1. Scriptophobia is the fear of writing in public.
2. Scoleciphobia is the fear of worms.
3. Rhytiphobia is the fear of getting wrinkles.
4. Ranidaphobia is the fear of frogs.
6. Placophobia is the fear of tombstones.
7. Photophobia is the fear of light.
8. Philosophobia is the fear of philosophy.
9. Phasmophobia is the fear of ghosts.
11. Oneirophobia is the fear of dreams.
12. Olfactophobia is the fear of smells.
13. Nudophobia is the fear of nudity.
14. Microphobia is the fear of small things.
16. Limnophobia is the fear of lakes.
17. Kenophobia is the fear of voids.
18. Hylephobia is the fear of materialism.
19. Hodophobia is the fear of road travel.
21. The fear of novelty is known as kainolophobia.
22. The fear of termites is known as isopterophobia.
23. The fear of forests is known as hylophobia.
24. The fear of glass is known as hyelophobia.
26. The fear of bums or beggars is known as hobophobia.
27. The fear of feeling pleasure is known as hedonophobia.
28. The fear of saints or holy things is known as hagiophobia.
29. The fear of old people or of growing old is known as gerontophobia.
31. The fear of hearing good news is known as euphobia.
32. The fear of blushing is known as ereuthrophobia.
33. The fear of undressing in front of someone is known as dishabiliophobia.
34. The fear of drinking is known as dipsophobia.
36. The fear of making decisions is known as decidophobia.
37. The fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia.
38. The fear of going to bed is known as clinophobia.
39. The fear of clocks is known as chronomentrophobia.
41. The fear of new things or ideas is known as cenophobia.
42. The fear of beautiful women is known as caligynephobia.
43. The fear of toads is known as bufonophobia.
44. The fear of slime is known as blennophobia.
46. The fear of depth is known as bathophobia.
47. The fear of animatronic creatures is known as automatonophobia.
48. The fear of ruin or ruins is known as atephobia.
49. The fear of imperfection is known as atelophobia.
51. The fear of opinions is known as allodoxaphobia.
52. The fear of sourness is known as acerophobia.
53. Stasibasiphobia is the fear of standing.
54. Oikophobia is the fear of home surroundings.
56. Siderodromophobia is the fear of trains.
57. Selenophobia is the fear of the moon.