12 Most Common Phobias in the World (Top Phobias 2022)

12 MOST POPULAR PHOBIAS AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

It’s pretty common for people to have a fear of spiders and to try to avoid them, but this doesn’t mean they have a spider “phobia”. The definition of a phobia is an irrational fear associated with a particular object or situation. Except this fear we just defined is anxiety SO INTENSE that it becomes incapacitating. A phobia involves significant stress and people will go to great lengths to avoid it. Check out these therapy methods for overcoming a phobia!

Now let’s dive into the 12 most common phobias...

ARACHNOPHOBIA (FEAR OF SPIDERS)

Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders that goes beyond the desire to kill one when you see it in your home. People with arachnophobia will become extremely anxious at the sight of a spider, usually jumping, screaming, or freezing in place. With arachnophobia, you may not experience symptoms until you see a spider. It’s also possible to experience your symptoms if you’re just thinking about spiders, or perhaps if you see pictures of them.

Many people with arachnophobia overestimate the likelihood of encountering spiders. Such phobias can also cause you to overestimate a spider’s size. This fear and overestimation of encountering spiders can cause physical symptoms, too.

• Dizziness/lightheadedness

• Upset stomach

• Nausea

• Sweating

• Shaking or trembling

• Shortness of breath

• Increased heart rate

• Crying

• Avoidance of places and situations where you might see or encounter spiders

• Worsening anxiety as an impending encounter looms

• Overall difficulty with concentration and functioning

• Social isolation

AEROPHOBIA (FEAR OF FLYING)

Aerophobia is a fear of flying. People with aerophobia become extremely anxious when flying. For some, it is brought on by simply entering a plane or even the thought of entering a plane, whereas others experience the phobia when there is turbulence during a flight.

There are several possibilities for what contributes to your fear of flying. It could be caused by a single direct influence or a combination of factors. A direct influence might be a particularly bad flight you experienced or a connection to someone who experienced a traumatic flight incident or aviation event. Feeling out of control is a common anxiety trigger, and it’s a common influencer of aerophobia. Being way up high is certainly one way to recognize that some things in life are out of your hands!

Claustrophobia is another condition that can trigger aerophobia. The cabin of a plane is a tight, crowded space, and it can feel especially confining during boarding when emotions are already heightened.

Though flying isn’t the only way to travel, it is one of the safest and fastest ways. If you wish to move through your fear of flying, check out this breakdown of exposure therapy!

OPHIDIOPHOBIA (FEAR OF SNAKES)

Ophidiophobia is a fear of snakes. People suffering from this phobia will be startled at the sight of a snake, oftentimes jumping, screaming, or crying. Similar to arachnophobia, people with ophidiophobia will avoid places where snakes may be found and avoid participating in outdoor activities such as camping or hiking.

Unlike arachnophobia, the fear is less likely to be induced simply by looking at a picture of a snake. Over time, you may begin to fear things that are not even directly related to snakes themselves. For example, you may become afraid of pet stores that offer snakes for sale.

• Shaking

• Crying

• Running Away

• Heart palpitations

• Difficulty breathing

ACROPHOBIA (FEAR OF HEIGHTS)

Acrophobia is a fear of heights. People with acrophobia will commonly have symptoms of spinning, also known as vertigo, in response to situations where they perceive they are high off the ground. In response to heights, they may also freeze in place and are unable to move from the spot.

It’s not unusual to feel some discomfort in high places. For example, you might feel dizzy or nervous when looking down from the top floor of a skyscraper. But these feelings may not cause panic or prompt you to avoid heights altogether. If you have acrophobia, even thinking about crossing a bridge or seeing a photograph of a mountain and surrounding valley may trigger fear and anxiety. This distress is generally strong enough to affect your daily life.

• increased sweating, chest pain or tightness, and increased heartbeat at the sight or thought of high places

• feeling sick or lightheaded when you see or think about heights

• shaking and trembling when faced with heights

• feeling dizzy or like you’re falling or losing your balance when you look up at a high place or down from a height

• going out of your way to avoid heights, even if it makes daily life more difficult

• experiencing panic when seeing high places or thinking about having to go up to a high place

• having extreme fear of being trapped somewhere high up

• experiencing extreme anxiety and fear when you have to climb stairs, look out a window, or drive along an overpass

• worrying excessively about encountering heights in the future

CYNOPHOBIA (FEAR OF DOGS)

Cynophobia is a fear of dogs. People with cynophobia will commonly freeze at the sight of a dog and have intense symptoms of anxiety.

People with cynophobia may avoid situations where they may encounter a dog, which can be difficult given there are about 76 million in the U.S. alone. They may find it difficult to interact with others who have dogs, including friends or family members. They may even avoid becoming friends with a dog owner.

You may or may not be able to hone in on exactly when your fear started or what first caused it. Your fear may come on acutely due to a dog attack, or develop more gradually over time. There are also certain situations or predispositions, like genetics, that may put you at higher risk of having cynophobia.

• Do I excessively anticipate situations in which I’m going to be around dogs?

• Do I immediately feel fear or have a panic attack while I’m around dogs or think about being around dogs?

• Do I recognize that my fear of dogs is severe and irrational?

• Do I avoid situations in which I may encounter dogs?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may fit the diagnostic criteria set by the DSM-5 for a specific phobia. Your doctor or therapist can help.

ASTRAPHOBIA (FEAR OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING)

Astraphobia is the fear of lightning and thunder. People with astraphobia will experience extreme symptoms of anxiety during storms, which many times will be amplified if the person is alone. Many children who have this fear will eventually outgrow it, but others will continue to experience the phobia into adulthood. Astraphobia can also manifest in adults who didn’t have it as children.

Being caught in a thunderstorm or preparing for extreme weather conditions can create reasonable levels of anxiety or fear. In people with astraphobia, thunderstorms cause an extreme reaction that can be debilitating. For people with this phobia, these feelings may be overwhelming and feel insurmountable. The fear of thunder and lightning is thought to come from a traumatic experience related to a storm for many people.

TRYPANOPHOBIA (FEAR OF INJECTIONS)

Trypanophobia is a fear of injections. It is also known as the fear of needles. People with trypanophobia will experience extreme anxiety in response to procedures requiring a needlestick, such as getting a shot or getting their blood drawn. The response can often occur at the site of a needle before the procedure is performed. They will often become very dizzy or even faint in response to the needlestick.

Children are especially afraid of needles because they’re unused to the sensation of their skin being pricked by something sharp. By the time most people reach adulthood, they can tolerate needles much more easily. But for some, a fear of needles stays with them into adulthood. Sometimes this fear can be extremely intense.

People with trypanophobia may avoid medical care due to their fear. In some cases, the symptoms of trypanophobia can also be induced by observing others undergoing injections.

The anxiety may also be linked to a fear of hospitals, doctors, and/or medical procedures in general, which tend to involve needles. Additionally, it can be the result of a traumatic experience with a prior procedure involving an injection.

SOCIAL PHOBIA (SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER)

Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, is a fear of social situations, usually involving people the person doesn’t know very well. Most people associate social phobia with being shy or introverted, but it is much more than that.

People with social anxiety are extremely afraid of social interactions, to the point that It is frequently debilitating and interferes with their life. People with social phobia will avoid social situations, sometimes refusing to leave their house.

It is usually brought on by a fear of judgment by others or feeling exceedingly self-conscious when out in public. They are afraid of being embarrassed or humiliating themselves in front of others.

The fear that people with social anxiety disorder have in social situations is so strong that they feel it is beyond their ability to control. As a result, it gets in the way of going to work, attending school, or doing everyday things. People with social anxiety disorder may worry about these and other things for weeks before they happen. Sometimes, they end up staying away from places or events where they think they might have to do something that will embarrass them.

AGORAPHOBIA (FEAR OF FEELING TRAPPED)

Agoraphobia is defined in many different ways, but in general, is known as a fear of a situation where escape may be difficult or where help will not be able to reach them in the case of an emergency. Other definitions include fear of leaving home alone, fear of crowds, or fear of having a panic attack in public. People with agoraphobia tend to think of places outside of their home as unsafe.

People with agoraphobia usually experience flashes of severe fear, resembling a panic attack. They may avoid situations such as traveling on public transportation, visiting the mall, standing in crowded rooms, where exits may be limited, or even being in wide-open spaces, where they may be too exposed. Their symptoms can sometimes be relieved if accompanied by another person.

The exact cause of agoraphobia isn’t known. However, several factors are known to increase your risk of developing agoraphobia.

• depression

• other phobias, such as claustrophobia and social phobia

• another type of anxiety disorder, such as generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder

• a history of physical or sexual abuse

• a substance abuse problem

• a family history of agoraphobia

MYSOPHOBIA (FEAR OF GERMS)

Have you ever heard the term “germaphobe?” Well, this is the phobia associated with that term. Mysophobia is the fear of germs. In this case, “germs'' refers broadly to any microorganism that causes disease — for instance, bacteria, viruses, or parasites. The distress and anxiety caused by a germ phobia are out of proportion to the damage that germs are likely to cause. Someone who has mysophobia might go to extreme lengths to avoid contamination.

People with mysophobia may obsessively wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. They may avoid public spaces where high levels of germs may be present, such as public restrooms. They tend to be extremely clean and disinfect everything in their homes. They typically avoid touching other people. In extreme cases, they may also avoid leaving their home altogether. People suffering from mysophobia are probably having an even tougher time now (2021) because of the highly contagious coronavirus. The global pandemic caused by Covid-19 is a “germaphobe’s” worst nightmare.

CLAUSTROPHOBIA (FEAR OF SMALL SPACES)

Claustrophobia is a fear of small spaces. Space can vary from a confined area, like a closet or elevator, to being trapped in a crowded room, where others are invading one’s personal space. When feeling trapped, they will experience extreme sensations of anxiety, similar to a panic attack, which will likely subside when they remove themselves from the space or situation.

Little is known about what causes claustrophobia. Environmental factors may play a big part. People typically develop claustrophobia during childhood or in their teenage years. Claustrophobia could be related to dysfunction of the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that controls how we process fear. The phobia can also be caused by a traumatic event, such as:

• being stuck in a tight or crowded space for an extended period of time

• experiencing turbulence when flying

• being punished by being locked in a small space, like a bathroom

• being stuck on crowded public transportation

• being left in a tight space, like a closet, by accident

GLOSSOPHOBIA (FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING)

Glossophobia is a fear of public speaking. This can be seen as a variant of social anxiety disorder but is more specific in that people with glossophobia are afraid of talking in front of groups of people. This fear can vary widely, from becoming very nervous when standing in front of a crowd to being unable to speak at all.

For those affected, speaking in front of a group can trigger feelings of discomfort and anxiety. With this can come uncontrollable trembling, sweating, and a racing heartbeat. You may also have an overwhelming urge to run out of the room or away from the situation that is causing you stress.

Glossophobia is a social phobia or social anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders go beyond occasional worrying or nervousness. They cause strong fears that are out of proportion to what you’re experiencing or thinking about. Anxiety disorders often get worse over time. And they can interfere with your ability to function under some circumstances.

CONCLUSION

With the right strategies you can overcome any phobia. Always remember that it is never a sign of weakness to seek help. In this guide, you can find a full step-by-step breakdown to overcome your fears. Start healing today!