Phobias (experiencing irrational fears) aren’t as uncommon as one might think. Lots of people experience them, and some are stranger than others. So we did some digging and found what many consider the most unusual phobias ever.
You may be wondering if you or a person you love is experience one or more of them. So here, then, is the list along with some interesting facts about each phobia.
1. Fear of Paper (Papyrophobia)
This phobia affects people in different ways. Some are only afraid of blank paper, others of torn paper or wet paper. Actress Megan Fox has admitted to a fear of dry paper. This phobia can be especially difficult to deal with because paper is everywhere and unavoidable.
2. Fear of Bathing (Ablutophobia)
Ablutophobia is the overwhelming fear of bathing, cleaning, or washing. It’s an anxiety disorder that falls under the category of specific phobias. And yes, it affects humans, but the dog in the picture seems a bit anxiety-ridden by it, as well.
3. Fear of the Sun (Heliophobia)
If you have a medical reason for staying out of the sun, are concerned about skin cancer risks or have a normal aversion to getting sunburned, you may stay out of the sun as a precaution, — that’s NOT heliophobia. Heliophobia is an anxiety disorder. It comes from the word “Helios” (the Greek sun God) and is an intense, irrational fear of the sun. It can involve extreme anxiety of getting skin cancer, or an overwhelming fear of wrinkling and photoaging.
While a lot of those concerns don’t seem too strange, like with other phobias, the reaction here is way beyond normal.
4. Fear of Wet Wood (Oneirogmophobia)
You don’t have to be a vampire to hate this unusual phobia. (Though it does make for a more interesting image.) If the mere sight of wet wood causes you to feel nauseous or break out into a sweat, you probably have oneirogmophobia. Sufferers from this phobia can’t use toothpicks, enjoy a Popsicle, or lick cake batter from a wooden spoon.
5. Fear of Holes (Trypophobia)
Imagine clusters of small holes, bumps, or patterns on people or things. The sight of lotus roots or honeycombs can trigger it in people, and for a while the internet was loaded with hands that allegedly had a flesh-eating virus that created holes in the skin. That last one was fake, but it made trypophobia a more well-known phobia. Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro design even became a trigger for this phobia. The cluster-like placement of the lenses makes people with this phobia uncomfortable.
6. Fear of Chewing Cum (Chiclephobia)
Gross? For sure? But one of the most unusual phobias ever? Yes, indeed!
In fact, Oprah Winfrey allegedly suffers from chiclephobia. Word is she wouldn’t even allow chewing gum in her studio. Winfrey traces her disdain for the chewy goo back to her grandmother, who would save used pieces of chewed gum at the bottom of dinner plates or in kitchen cabinets.
7. Fear of Vegetables (Lachanophobia)
Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables, so you probably won’t be going vegan or vegetarian anytime soon.
(But, if the VeggieTales characters freak you out, that is NOT one of the unusual phobias.)
8. Fear of Teenagers (Ephebiphobia)
What’s scarier than a collection of teenage mean girls? Absolutely nothing.
However, ephebiphobia is the fear and/or loathing of teenagers. It’s not necessarily as debilitating as other phobias, and many believe it to be created by the media. The concept is that youth are troublemakers who aren’t to be trusted, and when something major happens in society — like a school shooting — society perpetuates the fear. It’s often exploited by companies that want to sell “safety” products to parents who fear what kids may do in the future.
9. Fear of Being Touched (Haphephobia)
According to Medical News Today, haphephobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of being touched. While some people don’t appreciate other people touching them, or have suffered a trauma that makes them uncomfortable when touched by strangers or others, this is different.
In the case of haphephobia, fear results almost every time the person is touched. It can persistsfor over 6 months, and it impairs a person’s relationships or work life. It’s sometimes called chiraptophobia, aphenphosmphobia and thixophobia.
10. Fear of Buttons (Koumpounophobia)
Yep, this is one the unusual phobias, too. People who suffer from koumpounophobia can’t stand the sight, touch, or smell of buttons. (Who knew buttons even had a smell? People who suffer from koumpounophobia, that’s who!) Some sufferers even need to wash their skin if it comes into contact with a button. In more extreme cases, some people can’t say or write the word ‘button.’
11. Fear of Bald People (Peladophobia)
Fearing bald people can often be attributed to a childhood trauma involving someone with no hair. It could be as innocent as seeing scary Uncle Fester from The Addams Family movies, or a tabloid shot of Britney Spears after she went crazy and shaved her head. But on a more serious note, it can also be caused due to a heartbreaking incident, such as witnessing someone’s hair falling out due to an illness.
12. Fear of Strings (Linonophobia)
Linonophobia refers to the fear of strings. It doesn’t have to be anything, like what’s seen in this image above. Any kind of strings really trigger this fear, you name it; guitar strings, balloon strings, etc. Symptoms typically include extreme anxiety, dread, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, sweating, dry mouth, shaking and so on.
13. Fear of Peanut Butter (Arachibutyrophobia)
The fear of peanut butter isn’t as irrational as some might think, and this isn’t someone who’s simply got a severe peanut allergy. Arachibutyrophobia is actually rooted in the fear of having it stick to the roof of your mouth. More generally, it can be related to a fear of choking or sticky textures.
This fear can often be traced to an early tragic event, such as seeing someone have an allergy attack from peanut butter as a child.
14. Fear of Needles (Beloneophobia)
This doesn’t seem that strange, right? Well, yes, but most people get over it in order to get blood tests or vaccines. They will put up with it in order to be healthy, However, in the case of someone suffering from beloneophobia, it’s much more severe. Researchers say that of the 20 million kids and adults in the United States who experience a deep fear of needles, only 3.5 million have skipped medically prescribed tests and injections to avoid getting pricked.
15. Fear of Human-Like Figures (Automatonophobia)
Well, when you show us a photo like that, no wonder someone is scared!
In all seriousness, this is a legitimate fear of wax figures, humanoid robots, audio-animatronics, or other figures designed to represent humans. Those things can look pretty creepy. According to Very Well Mind, it only rarely becomes a full-blown phobia, “but it is relatively common to experience hesitation or nervousness when confronting these figures.”
Phobia Fun Facts
Don’t worry, we’re not done yet…
About 11% of people encounter a phobia at some point in their lives. Some phobias are more common (fear of spiders, sharks, drowning, or flying) and others are much more bizarre, like being afraid of colors (xanthophobia), trees (dendrophobia) or sitting (kathisophobia).
Phobias only become a real nuisance when they start to rule our lives or we experience physical symptoms from fear like chest pains, nausea, choking or trembling. Some people have fears so heart-pounding they bring on severe anxiety attacks.
How do most of these phobias even start? Experts think they’re caused by a traumatic event from our childhood we may not even remember.
Here are more of the more unusual phobias ever on our list, followed by some ways to handle them in your life.
16. Fear of Home Appliances (Oikophobia)
To be more specific, oikophobia is a fear of home surroundings, and more generally to mean an abnormal or irrational fear of the home or the contents in the home. However, it’s been more generically applied to a fear of household appliances.
17. Fear of Chins (Geniophobia)
We all kind of hate the double chin, and we fear that we might get one, but an actual fear of chins?
Yep, this is one of the rare unusual phobias, but it does exist. It stems from thinking your own chin is too large, small, or unpleasant looking. The person becomes obsessed with fixating on other people’s chins because it reminds them of their own perceived flaw.
18. Fear of Chewing (Misophonia)
It can be gross to watch people eat, but some folks have an actual fear of it. Misophonia is the intense agitation and discomfort people feel when hearing highly specific noises such as chewing. Needless to say, they won’t be watching Mukbang or food ASMR videos.
19. Fear of Going Down Stairs (Descendophobia)
No joke. In fact, it can be so severe that some people have a fear of descending down anything, from stairs to a hillside.
20. Fear of Long Words (Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia)
Ironically, it takes a long word to define a phobia that means the fear of long words.
The fear of long words was once considered a fictional phobia by those who just can’t wrap their heads around the fear. However, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is as real as any. This fear can stem from a childhood “popcorn reading,” wherein you’d be selected at random during class to read a portion of text. This phobia can be heightened by the pressure and fear of mispronouncing a long word.
21. Fear of Not Having Cell Phone Service (Nomophobia)
Yes, your child is probably being dramatic when you take their phone away and they have an absolute breakdown. And you probably don’t want to mention this one and give them any ideas.
However, nomophobia is a real thing. According to Psychology Today, it’s on the rise among high school students, and “an increasing number of college students now shower with their cell phone. The average adolescent would rather lose a pinky-finger than a cell phone.”
That said, it’s not debilitating like a lot of the phobias on this list. A study in 2010 compared nomophobia stress levels to be similar to those of “wedding day jitters” and trips to the dentist.
22. Fear of Ferns (Pteridophobia)
Being afraid of certain plants sounds nearly impossible, but it’s completely valid as well. Some people’s plant-fears are even species-selective. The fear of ferns, or more commonly called, Pteridophobia, causes people to wince at the sight of these flowering plants.
On the opposite end of things, there’s also Pteridophilia. This is where people engage in a sexual relationship with this species of plants.
23. Fear of Stars (Siderophobia)
You won’t be going stargazing anytime soon if you suffer from Siderophobia. The fear of stars makes people contemplate the vastness of the universe, which can be very overwhelming. People with this phobia find themselves rushing inside when the sun begins to set and closing all the curtains.
24. Fear of Falling in Love (Philophobia)
Philophobia is the fear of love or of becoming emotionally connected with another person. It can be similar to other social phobias and can have a real impact on your life. Philophobia isn’t social anxiety disorder, which is where someone suffers extreme fear in social situations. That’s different from philophobia because it encompasses a number of social contexts, and this one is specific to falling in love.
People who suffer from this can become isolated, suffer from depression, and turn to drug or alcohol use.
25. Fear of Money (Plutophobia)
No, this isn’t why you’ve got huge credit card debt. Nor is it the reason why you can’t make a ton of money even after reading The Secret 10 times. Plutophobia refers to the fear of money, and it can stem from all kinds of money-related traumas. Perhaps losing all your money, bankruptcy, experiencing a robbery, or even the chilling fear of potentially not having a cent to your name.
26. Fear of Chickens (Alektorophobia)
If you have Alektorophobia, you probably won’t enjoy participating in a chicken dance. (Just kidding. LOTS of people hate that, and it’s not one of our unusual phobias. It just means you have taste.) The fear of chickens is popularly seen in people who grew up in a rural area or around chickens.
27. Fear of Time Passing (Chronophobia)
People who fear that their time on Earth is limited or have trouble keeping track of time’s passing can suffer from chronophobia. The elderly or very sick people, for example, may suffer from it. People who fear death due to some major event in their lives may also develop it.
According to Very Well Mind, “Chronophobia is marked by a sense of derealization in which time seems to speed up or slow down. Some people develop circular thought patterns, racing thoughts, and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Prisoners often mark down the days until their release.”
28. Fear of Sleep (Somniphobia)
This phobia has been reported to cause extreme fear and anxiety right around when your bedtime is approaching. Somniphobia is the fear of sleep or falling asleep and can be triggered when having frequent episodes of sleep paralysis or nightmare disorder. This phobia is often called by other names such as hypnophobia, clinophobia, sleep anxiety or sleep dread.
29. Fear of Cheese (Turophobia)
This one would kill us. Seriously. If we couldn’t have cheese… well… that’s a huge fear in itself.
As with a lot of the phobias on this list, sufferers of turophobia usually associate cheese with a traumatic memory. Some may fear one type of cheese while others may fear cheese altogether.
OUR FINAL UNUSUAL PHOBIA. Next up, you’ll find the final entry in our list of unusual phobias. But before that, here are some ways to get over them.
Unusual Phobias — How to Get Over Them
The experts say there are ways to overcome even your most debilitating phobias.
For more mild anxieties, take a deep breath and then visualize what it is that scares you. Spend time every day mentally picturing your phobia and then soothing your fear with a positive statement like “This can’t hurt me” or “Everything is going to be fine.”
Serious phobias like the ones listed above are going to require more intense therapy treatments like using medication or doing Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). CBT is a popular therapy because you learn healthier thought patterns that eventually replace anxiety-causing thoughts of your phobia. This treatment may include hypnotherapy or exposure therapy. This is where the patient is exposed, in tiny increments, to the source of their anxiety until they’re able to overcome it.
And now, the final phobia you’ve been waiting for…
30. Fear of Clowns (Coulrophobia)
Whether or not you’re scared of clowns, this one should be of no surprise. But what is unusual about this phobia is that it is an actual diagnosed thing. According to Richard Dodds, a reporter who writes quite a bit about clowns, “The term for fear of clowns—coulrophobia—is of fairly recent invention, coined, perhaps, as enough grownups found they were not alone in lingering childhood queasiness overexposure to big people dressed like Bozo.”
See how parents have used this fear to get their kids to behave.
Unusual Phobias — Sources
WebMD
First to Know
Healthline
Merriam Webster
Very Well Mind
Psychology Today