Category: phobias

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For Some, Public Speaking Is Literally Scarier Than Death—Here’s Why

Many people have a fear of public speaking, but some people definitely have it worse than others. For some, public speaking is literally scarier than death.

In surveys about human fears, public speaking is commonly ranked at the top of the list. In some cases, it’s ranked above dying.

According to Psychology Today, this is because humans evolved to be social animals. Our community-oriented lifestyle helped us survive threats by cooperating with others — helping each other survive, fending off predators together, keeping each other alert, and so on.

When you depend on other humans to survive, social isolation is basically a death sentence. Avoiding isolation is baked into our instincts.

Photo Credit: iStock

“Ostracism appears to occur in all social animals that have been observed in nature,” Kip Williams, professor of psychological sciences at Purdue, told Psychology Today. “To my knowledge, in the animal kingdom, ostracism is not only a form of social death, it also results in death. The animal is unable to protect itself against predators, cannot garner enough food, etc., and usually dies within a short period of time.”

That’s why public speaking is so terrifying — it carries the risk of social rejection, and our bodies react accordingly. Your fight-or-flight response is triggered, and then come the sweaty palms, racing heartbeat, and inability to speak.

Photo Credit: iStock

Overcoming stage fright is all about teaching your body that public speaking can’t actually kill you, which can only happen through experience. The more times you get through it without disaster, the less scary it will be.

So get out there!

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Hylophobia is the Fear You’ve Definitely Got, But Never Heard Of

Have you ever heard the term “Hylophobia?” I’m betting the majority of you haven’t – and yet it describes a fear that just about all of us grew up with.

What does it mean, you ask?

Hylophobia is the fear of woods or forests.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Yes, I told you that you probably suffer from it. Let’s be honest: the woods are creepy and unpredictable. You have no idea what lurks out there and if you’ve been brought up on ungodly amounts of horror movies since you were a kid, you already know what happens in the forest and it’s never good.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Let’s run down a list of why you probably suffer from Hylophobia, shall we?

The woods are dark and terrifying.

Photo Credit: Imgur

There are weird people lurking out there.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

You might have to knock on the door at a house like this for “help.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

And finally, you might run into something like this.

Photo Credit: Imgur

So let’s just agree that this will definitely NOT be in your future, okay?

Photo Credit: Imgur

Stay out of the woods! And I will, too

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Haphephobia: A Fear of Being Touched

Fear – A four letter word that captures our mind, frightens the soul and dictates the body. It creates hurdles, invokes inability and even triggers frustration. Since the inception of humankind, we have fought our fears. As we have evolved, we have learned to deal with our fears and found ways to overcome them. Precisely all the fears are associated with the core senses that develop, as life begins its journey in the womb. The five core senses that humans have are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. An interesting fact is that any phobia can be virtually avoidable, except

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Pharmacophobia: A Fear of Medication

Medicine, to most of us, are seen as life-saving cures. We take a pill every 4 hours for a headache, or we take Benadryl in the morning so we can get through the day without sneezing or coughing all day long. Then there are those who have a fear of medication and refuse to accept any at all because they think that they can die from ingesting these pills and liquids that we take without a second thought. These people suffer from what is known as Pharmacophobia. Even those who have a life-threatening disease will still stay away from any

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Underwater Phobias: Thalassophobia and Submechanophobia

Many of us have phobias, but how common is it to have a fear of the sea? After all, it’s only water and covers around 70% of the planet. Picture the scene: you’re on holiday, the sun is beating down on your back and you decide to cool off in the sea so take the plunge head first into the turquoise, clear water. Sounds like bliss, no? Not for some people. Ever been out swimming and felt a little unnerved about what’s lurking beneath you? It’s an actual phobia, called Thalassophobia – coming, unsurprisingly, from the Greek word ‘thalassa’ (ocean)

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Eremophobia: The Fear of Being Alone

Eremophobia is defined as the excessive or irrational fear towards solitude or the irrational fear of being alone. It is also known as Autophobia, which is a broader term for the fear of isolation, fear of being egotistical or the dread or anxiety of being alone.  Eremophobia is linked with agoraphobia and other social phobias, though in this case, the fear is not of people themselves, it is the idea that the person will be left alone/abandoned. What causes Eremophobia? In most cases, the condition is derived from past traumatic experiences, normally stemming from childhood. For example, if a child

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Didaskaleinophobia: A Fear of Going to School

Schools are typically meant to be an education institution for children, where they are taught a variety of subjects to help them develop and grow, as well as prepare them for adulthood. While it’s completely natural for kids to hate school, or perhaps just dislike it, Didaskaleinophobia is actually having a fear of going to school in the first place. It is said that as many as 2 to 5% of school children suffer from this phobia and is most commonly found in the 4-6-year-old age group. Like many phobias, Didaskaleinophobia presents various symptoms in children, which are often helpful

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