The word “phobia” is one that is sometimes used callously. A real phobia can cause debilitating fear in a person and can interfere with they day-to-day-living, life, relationships and even their jobs. People tend to use this word when describing someone who fears an object, situation or activity. But, what they forget, is the degree of that fear.
Fear and phobia are both emotional responses to a perceived threat, but they differ in their intensity, duration, and impact on a person’s life. Fear is a natural and normal response to a real or perceived danger, whereas a phobia is an intense and persistent fear or aversion to a specific object, situation, or activity that is typically out of proportion to the actual threat.
Here are some ways to differentiate between fear and phobia –
Intensity
Fear is a normal response to a perceived threat, and it usually subsides once the threat is no longer present. In contrast, a phobia is an intense and persistent fear that can cause panic attacks, avoidance behavior, and other physical and psychological symptoms.
Duration
Fear is a short-term response that usually subsides quickly once the threat is gone. A phobia, on the other hand, can persist for years, even if the person is aware that the fear is irrational.
Proportionality
Fear is usually proportional to the actual threat. For example, feeling fear when encountering a wild animal in the wilderness is a natural response. However, a phobia involves an exaggerated fear response to a specific object, situation, or activity that is out of proportion to the actual danger posed.
Impact on daily life
Fear does not usually interfere significantly with a person’s daily life, while a phobia can be very disruptive, causing a person to avoid certain places, activities, or objects that are essential to one’s existence.
Here are some common and some not so common phobias.
Ablutophobia – Fear of bathing or cleaning
Achluophobia – Fear of darkness
Acousticophobia – Fear of loud sounds
Acrophobia – Fear of heights
Aerophobia – Fear of flying
Agoraphobia – Fear of open spaces or crowded spaces or of leaving one’s home
Agyrophobia – Fear of crossing roads
Allodoxaphobia – Fear of opinions
Anablephobia – Fear of looking up
Anatidaephobia – Fear of being watched by a duck
Androphobia – Fear of men
Anthophobia – Fear of flowers
Aphenphosmphobia – Fear of intimacy or being touched
Arachibutyrophobia – Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders
Arithmophobia – Fear of numbers
Astraphobia – Fear of thunder and lightning
Athazagoraphobia – Fear of being forgotten/Fear of being ignored
Automatonophobia – Fear of human-like figures like mannequins, robots etc.
Barophobia – Fear of gravity
Batophobia – Fear of being close to tall buildings
Bibliophobia – Fear of books
Blennophobia – Fear of slime
Cacomorphobia – Fear of fat people
Catoptrophobia – Fear of mirrors
Chaetophobia – Fear of hair
Chionophobia – Fear of snow
Chrometophobia – Fear of money
Chronophobia – Fear of time
Cinophobia – Fear of dogs
Claustrophobia – Fear of small spaces
Coulrophobia – Fear of clowns
Cynophobia – Fear of dogs
Decidophobia – Fear of making decisions
Deipnophobia – Fear of dinner parties
Dendrophobia – Fear of trees
Dentophobia – Fear of dentists
Domatophobia – Fear of being inside a house
Dromophobia – Fear of crossing streets
Dysmorphophobia – Fear of physical deformities
Ecclesiophobia – Fear of churches
Eleutherophobia – Fear of freedom
Emphysema – Fear of pulmonary emphysema
Entomophobia – Fear of insects
Eosophobia – Fear of dawn or daylight
Ephebiphobia – Fear of teenagers
Ephebiphobia – Fear of youth
Epistemophobia – Fear of knowledge
Erythrophobia – Fear of blushing
Euphobia – Fear of hearing good news
Frigophobia – Fear of becoming cold
Galeophobia – Fear of sharks
Geliophobia – Fear of laughter
Geniophobia – Fear of chins
Genuphobia – Fear of knees
Gephyrophobia – Fear of bridges
Gerascophobia – Fear of aging
Glossophobia – Fear of public speaking
Graphophobia – Fear of writing
Gymnophobia – Fear of nudity
Hadephobia – Fear of hell
Hamartophobia – Fear of sinning
Haphephobia – Fear of touch
Heliophobia – Fear of sunlight
Heliophobia – Fear of the sun
Hemophobia – Fear of blood
Herpetophobia – Fear of reptiles
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – Fear of the number 666
Hierophobia – Fear of sacred things
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – Fear of long words
Homichlophobia – Fear of fog
Hydrophobia – Fear of water
Hylophobia – Fear of forests
Hypnophobia – Fear of sleep or falling asleep
Iatrophobia – Fear of doctors or medical tests
Ichthyophobia – Fear of fish
Ideophobia – Fear of ideas
Kinetophobia – Fear of movement or motion
Koinoniphobia – Fear of rooms full of people
Kymophobia – Fear of waves or wave-like motion
Lachanophobia – Fear of vegetables
Laliophobia – Fear of erring while speaking
Levophobia – Fear of things on the left side of the body
Lockiophobia – Fear of childbirth
Macrophobia – Fear of long waits
Mageirocophobia – Fear of cooking
Malaxophobia – Fear of love play
Metrophobia – Fear of poetry
Molysmophobia – Fear of contamination
Mysophobia – Fear of germs or dirt
Nomatophobia – Fear of names
Nomophobia – Fear of being without a mobile phone
Nyctophobia – Fear of the dark
Octophobia – Fear of the number 8
Ombrophobia – Fear of rain
Onomatophobia – Fear of hearing a certain words or names
Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes
Optophobia – Fear of opening one’s eyes
Panphobia – Fear of everything
Peladophobia – Fear of bald people
Phagophobia – Fear of swallowing
Phobophobia – Fear of developing a phobia
Phronemophobia – Fear of thinking
Podophobia – Fear of feet
Pogonophobia – Fear of beards
Proctophobia – Fear of rectums
Pteromerhanophobia – Fear of flying
Rhytiphobia – Fear of wrinkles
Sarmassophobia – Fear of love play or physical intimacy
Scelerophobia – Fear of bad men, burglars
Sesquipedalophobia – Fear of long words
Social anxiety disorder – Fear of social situations
Somniphobia – Fear of sleep
Syngenesophobia – Fear of relatives
Taphophobia – Fear of being buried alive
Telephonophobia – Fear of telephones
Tetraphobia – Fear of the number 4
Thanatophobia – Fear of death or dying
Triskaidekaphobia – Fear of the number 13
Trypophobia – Fear of holes or patterns
Urophobia – Fear of urine or urinating
Venustraphobia – Fear of beautiful women
Vestiphobia – Fear of clothing
Wiccaphobia – Fear of witches and witchcraft
Xanthophobia – Fear of the color yellow
Xenoglossophobia – Fear of foreign languages
Zoophobia – Fear of animals
Feature image by MART PRODUCTION
