The word “Phobia” is defined as an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something. According to the national institute of mental health, about 10% of Americans have a specific phobia. Phobias can range from being excessively afraid of height to being irrationally afraid about the end of the world.
Many people don’t even know that they suffer from a phobia because there is such a stigma attached to being phobic. So now here’s the list of weird phobias you may not know really exist.
Metrophobia
One of the strangest phobias ever existed, it is being afraid of poem or poetry. There are a few interesting facts about this phobia. Some of the people often acquire this phobia in their schools, every time the teachers pressure them to rate poems as per arbitrary scales, break down, and check for abstract meanings.
Coulrophobia
Being fearful of clowns is something that gets made fun of a lot in the media these days. The majority of the world probably thinks that people with this fear are being irrational. But did you know being excessively scared of clowns is something that affects about 12% of the American population?.
If you have Coulrophobia, you may suffer from excessive sweating, nausea, and an increase in heart rate whenever you see a clown. But where exactly does this phobia stem from? many people are frightened of a clown because of there make-up and costumes, that’s because they don’t allow us to easily see who the person underneath it all is.
We also don’t usually trust people who are super happy and laughing all the time. Some people may also develop Coulrophobia due to a bad experience that they had with a birthday party clown when they were younger. It also obviously doesn’t help that clowns are often depicted as evil characters in horror movies.
Philophobia
Is the strange fear of falling in love or becoming emotionally attached. The prefix “Philo” derived from the Greek word which means love. People who suffer from Philophobia tend to avoid any contact with members of the opposite sex. Some Philophobics even avoid people in general at all costs because they’re so afraid of becoming emotionally attached to anyone.
This fear could stem from experience with past relationships that ended badly. If someone faced rejection in a relationship that they truly cared about, they might find it impossible to be vulnerable with someone again. Philophobics usually have a deep need for human connection but they’re just not able to fulfill that desire.
They usually spend a lot of their time alone. Sadly, they feel tortured by the fact that they’re unable to build emotional relationships with others. Another cause for Philophobia is depression if someone suffers from low self-esteem due to depression and is generally not feeling too great, they may feel like they’re not worth loving.
Hypnophobia
Sleeping is one of our favorite things to do, shockingly to know that some people are actually afraid to sleep know as “Hypnophobia,” this common fear is usually triggered by stress. Those who have frequent, frightening nightmares are also at risk of developing this phobia.
Sleep is very important to our overall well-being and not getting enough of it can cause insomnia, bedwetting, and sleepwalking. Symptoms of Hypnophobia can include shaking, the inability to articulate clearly, and a lack of focus. Hypnophobic’s fear can be so severe that their anxiety about sleeping can cause them to panic and choke which effectively prevents them from falling asleep.
Conclusion
Every person in this world has particular situations, things, or circumstances in life that they’re fearful of. Whether they’re afraid of heights, spiders, or being alone, you’re not the only one who has it. It’s a normal thing to be afraid of something.