Beyond the Norm: Unique Phobias That Challenge Our Comfort Zones

- Sreshtha Roy

Intern at Mind Splatters, Sept-Oct 2023

All of us at some point have felt a certain amount of discomfort or fear toward certain objects or places. For instance, you might not like dogs, or feel uncomfortable in closed spaces. However, for some people, this fear or discomfort is unbearable to the point of resulting in panic disorders, and sleepless nights. Some may even need medication or therapy for it. In these cases, the person will be diagnosed with some phobia. The three leading phobias are claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (fear of heights), and noctophobia (fear of the dark). Let's examine a few unusual or unique phobias that a person might experience.

• Ablutophobia: The dread of bathing is known as ablutophobia. Babies are more likely to experience it since it could temporarily impede development. Adult ablutophobia may be tied to water-related trauma experienced as a child and may make people uncomfortable in social situations because it raises questions about sanitation.

• Arithmophobia: The fear of numbers is real for those who have arithmophobia, even though many people grow up loathing math class. In contrast to the fear of seeing the number symbols, those who have this phobia typically experience anxiety when practicing math or dealing with numbers in general. Numerophobia is another name for the fear of numbers. Arithmophobia can have a substantial negative impact on a person's life because many professions or occupations require working with numbers.

• Geliophobia: The dread of laughing is known as gleiophobia. The act of laughing may cause someone who has geliophobia to feel uncontrollably frightened and afraid. The dread of laughing inconveniently or of being laughed at by others is one of the potential causes of geliophobia.

• Cyberphobia: This is a fear of technology or computers. This anxiety is typically experienced by older people who are struggling to use contemporary devices such as computers, tablets, or smartphones.

• Phobophobia: This is a phobia in and of itself! This phobia is very limiting and self-replicating. Even though the patients might already have one or more phobias, they are continuously concerned about developing more.

• Chaetophobia: This is the fear of hair. People who have this phobia frequently have a dread of hair, including occasionally animal hair. They might avoid people with thick, curly hair or they might just be afraid of wayward, stray hair. Some people might think hair is filthy and that coming in contact with it could make them sick. Others experience this phobia because of scalp problems or hair loss.

• Heliphobia: Heliphobia, a terrible but uncommon illness, is a fear of sunshine. Heliophobics have strong feelings of anxiety and panic when exposed to the sun, as well as a dread of bright lights. Worrying over the supposed dangers of the sun is commonly associated with the condition or dread of the sun.

• Genuphobia: This is the fear of knees! This phobia is quite uncommon, and like most phobias, the extent of it varies greatly. One person might, for instance, simply be scared of seeing bare knees in person, but another person might be afraid of either all knees or only their own. People who have this phobia frequently have a dread of kneeling.

• Scriptophobia: This is another rare phobia- the fear of writing in public! Scriptophobia, which is also known as graphophobia, the fear of writing or handwriting, is regarded as a social and specific phobia.

• Nomophobia: This must be the most relatable phobia- the phobia of not having a phone! This phobia can also extend to not having cell service or your phone running out of battery as well.

Phobias tend to cause great discomfort and anxiety to an individual which is why it is a must to get it treated if you think you might be phobic to something!