Evolutionary psychologists say that many of the phobias we have are vestiges of our prehistoric ancestors. For example, vertigo made hominids with a fear of heights less likely to walk along cliff edges without further ado. This increased our ancestors’ chances of survival.
But this doesn’t explain the whole cast of phobias that exist today. Human beings are most incredible, and so are the fears that they can have.. In this article we will see which are the strangest phobias of the human being.
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The 20 strangest fears of the human being
The fear generally gives as instinctive response an avoidant behavior, being sometimes something very irrational. In many cases it can be understood. For example, phobias associated with some animals (spiders, snakes, etc.) are due to the fact that in the past it was very dangerous to approach them.
What is not so easily understood is the fear, for example, of a color (chromophobia). Undoubtedly, there are some truly surprising phobias, and below we will see the strangest phobias of the human being.
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Omphalophobia
The person who suffers omphalophobia expresses a great discomfort and even fear of having to touch a belly button. fear of having to touch a navel. If already thinking about them would be difficult, the rejection to the idea of touching one is total.
2. Pogonophobia
This is a irrational fear of beards. In recent years beards have been fashionable and that must not have pleased the pogonophobes at all.
3. Chionophobia
There are people who are fear of snowThey have a very bad time in winter or in certain regions. The feeling of anxiety or even nausea is generated by seeing it fall or touching it.
4. Anablephobia
Anablephobia is the fear of looking up. People who manifest this phobia never tilt their head towards the sky because of what might be there and because of the feeling of smallness. It is one of the strangest phobias.
5. Caetophobia
This is the hair phobia. People with kaetophobia find the idea of coming into contact with other people’s or animals’ hair horrifying. Others do not even want to think about their own hair.
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6. Phalacrophobia
This phobia is in absolute contrast to the previous one. It is the fear of bald people. Touching, looking at or even thinking about a bald person is a source of anxiety for phalacrophobics. It is also a fear of going bald.
7. Chromophobia
Chromophobia is the fear of colors. The irrational aversion to colors is associated with traumatic experiences to certain colors, being possible the aversion to certain colors. For example, cyanophobia (fear of blue color) or xanthophobia (fear of yellow color).
8. Lacanophobia
Lacanophobia is another really rare phobia. It is the food phobia. This persistent and unexplained fear of fruits and vegetables causes the lacanophobic to have a very inadequate diet.
9. Linonophobia
Linonophobia is an irrational fear of threads, strings, ropes, strings, ropes, strings, strings, strings, strings fear of threads, cords, ropes and chains.. It is undoubtedly another strange phobia that is difficult to understand. Knitting or any activity involving these elements creates a strong aversion.
10. Clinophobia
Also known as somniphobia or hypnophobia, clinophobia is the fear of falling asleep. fear of falling asleep.. It is a kind of fear of disconnecting from reality, and logically leads those who suffer from clinophobia to suffer from sleep disorders.
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11. Alliumphobia
Not only vampires are terrified at the thought of garlic, there are humans who also have nightmares about it. Those who suffer from alliumphobia have fear of garlic.
12. Parthenophobia
Some of the rarest phobias are of a sexual nature. For example, the parthenophobia is the fear of virgin girls. Any young girl is potentially a virgin, so the anxiety can be felt anywhere.
13. Cationophobia
Catisophobia refers to the fear of sitting. It is an exceptional phobia that is directly associated with a traumatic experience. This can range from hemorrhoids to having been held hostage in a kidnapping or having been tortured.
14. Mageirocophobia
Mageirocofobia describes an irrational fear of cooking. People suffering from this phobia are unable to prepare food that involves any kind of cooking, as it generates a very acute anxiety.
15. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
This phobia with such a complicated name explains a response of authentic fear of the number 666. This number is the one identified with Satan, and people who believe in his existence are terrified every time they see him or associate something with this number.
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16. Penteraphobia
Many people will smile when they discover this phobia, but those who suffer from it are not amused at all. It is the fear of mother-in-law. There are those who really suffer greatly at the thought of having to relate to their partner’s mother.
17. Omatophobia
Omatophobia is the fear of the eyes. People who suffer from this phobia are afraid of looking at images with eyes. In some cases these people are only afraid of certain colors of iris.
18. Numerophobia
Numerophobia is suffered by people with a fear of numbers. fear of numbers. These people can develop obsessions and fears towards certain numbers or numerical sequences, and generally fear everything related to mathematics.
19. Ceraunophobia
This phobia consists of the fear of being struck by lightning.. Actually, in addition to this fear, the person is also usually afraid of storms, tempests, thunder and lightning.
20. Barophobia
Barophobia is the fear of gravity. It may seem one of the rarest of human phobias because we cannot escape from gravity, but these people fear the compression to which gravity can subject them. They avoid elevators, escalators, amusement parks, etc.
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Bibliographical references.
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Edmund J. B. (2005). The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications
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Christophe A. (2006). Psychology of fear. Fears, anxieties and phobias. : Editorial Kairós.
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Craske, M., Martin M.A. and David, H.B. (2006). Mastering your fears and phobias. Oxford: Oxford University Press.