29 Weird Phobias That Really Do Exist

Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive. Research suggests it arose (and probably peaked) during the 1700s at a time when plague was rampant, and people feared doctors or medical professionals would mistakenly pronounce them dead. Taphophobia was such a phenomenon that escapable “safety coffins” were a thing, and corpses were often stored for long periods before burial to ensure they wouldn’t wake up.

Eisoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors or, more specifically, of seeing your own reflection in a mirror. Looking into a mirror can cause people with eisoptrophobia shame or distress, and can lead to depression, according to a 2014 case study detailing one 55-year-old woman’s 30-year struggle with this phobia.

Ombrophobia is the fear of rain. It falls into a category researchers term “natural environment phobias,” which also includes hurricanes (lilapsophobia), snow (chionophobia), cold (cryophobia), and wind (ancraophobia). People with these phobias may be more likely to have some kind of formal weather-related education, which saddles them with “a greater understanding of the potential dangers associated with severe weather,” according to the authors of one recent study.

Phonophobia is an “abnormal” and “unwarranted” fear of sound, according to research from Malaysia. Researchers say these are often normal, everyday sounds that cannot possibly harm a person’s hearing or cause pain—stuff like doors closing or loud conversation. Phonophobia sometimes overlaps with a condition called “hyperacusis,” which is an abnormally strong reaction to sound, stemming from the part of your brain that processes noise.

Numerophobia is the fear of numbers, though not in the sense that a person believes giant 1’s or 0’s are hiding under the bed. (Although with all the recent hand-wringing about technology, maybe they should.) Instead, numerophobia usually pops up as a fear of doing math or dealing with numbers. There’s some evidence that numerophobic doctors may ignore new evidence-based best practices because of their aversion to numbers and statistics.

Myrmecophobia is a fear of ants. The term is usually applied to species of plants that recoil or don’t respond well in the presence of these insects. But research touching on phobias and insect “swarms” suggests that some people are also freaked out by ants. Some experts are also looking at swarm-based fears in order to predict how people may react negatively in the future if they’re surrounded by large numbers of robots. (Seriously.)

Thalassophobia is a fear of the ocean or deep, open water. While thoughts of sea creatures lurking below the waves plays into this phobia, it’s often rooted in a fear of the unknown, writes Seán Harrington in the book Beasts of the Deep. “The deep sea offers us an oppressive and foreboding context—a space unexplored, unknowable and overwhelming,” he writes.

Ephebiphobia is a fear of teenagers or adolescents. Cultural and demographic researchers have long understood that nearly every generation of adults harbors mild forms of this phobia—meaning they look at teens as “out of control” or backwards in some way. For adults with more severe forms, spending time with teens can help dispel these fears.

There’s a good amount of research on people who believe in reincarnation, and who claim they remember details from their past lives. One University of Virginia study found that some children who claim to recall their previous lives suffer “unusual” phobias that they say are related to those past lives—and specifically the way they died. For example, a child might have an intense fear of water that she attributes to drowning in her past life.

Aerophobia is the fear of fresh air or the movement of air—such as drafts or breezes. Along with a fear of water, fear of air is one common symptom of rabies. Blowing or fanning air on a person with rabies can trigger muscle spasms and an “intense startling reaction,” shows one 2008 study.

Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens or hens. One 2016 case study tells the story of an 18-year-old woman who had a frightening encounter with a hen when she was a child. Later, whenever she saw a hen or chicken, she worried about being pecked or attacked. She even started experiencing intense anxiety when dining out and seeing dishes that contained chicken.

Amathophobia is a fear of dust. Maybe not surprisingly, research has found it occasionally shows up among librarians—people who are constantly around dust-covered old books.

Hippopotomonstro - sesquippedaliophobia (which we had to hyphenate to have it fully appear on the screen) is, no joke, a fear of long words—whoever coined the name for this phobia has a sick sense of humor. It’s usually used in the context of patients with dyslexia, who may struggle with unusually long words. It’s also sometimes called “sesquipedalophobia.”

Globophobia is the fear of balloons. “After being sensitized in childhood by exploding balloons, patients tend to avoid proximity to balloons,” writes the author of one recent BMJ report. That researcher says these patients often run into trouble when they have kids and encounter balloons at other children’s birthday parties.

Phobophobia is the fear of fear itself. It can lead to anxiety attacks and what some researchers describe as “free-floating anxiety.”Basically, these people are so hyper-aware of the ways becoming afraid will affect them that they struggle to function out of a fear that they'll experience fear.

Zoophobia is the fear of all animals. (The same term also applies to a category of more specific animal fears, such as a fear of dogs or snakes.) In some cases, this fear can cause people to stay housebound for fear of encountering an animal. Symptoms also include “excessive sweating, trouble controlling muscles, dizziness, fainting, elevated heart rate, rapid, and shallow breathing,” when encountering an animal, according to a recent study.

Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting. Researchers sometimes categorize this fear as a “social phobia,” because patients may fear vomiting because it would be embarrassing if it happened in front of other people. Looking at certain foods or feeling stomach activity can trigger the phobia, according to a Columbia University study.

Nomophobia is the fear of being without a smartphone. Of course, this is a relatively new phobia. A recent study from Italy defines its characteristics as feeling “anxious or nervous” at the thought of losing your smartphone, or worrying about losing network coverage or battery power

Urophobia is the fear of urinating. For those with bladder-control issues, the fear can stem from concern over having an “accident” in public. Some people also experience this fear when peeing around others (commonly known as “stage fright”), which some experts consider a specific subcategory of social anxiety.

Somniphobia is the fear of “initiating sleep,” or falling asleep. Some people experience sleep paralysis as they drift off—basically, not being able to move even through they’re still partly awake—and this can lead to somniphobia, according to a 2016 study from the University of Minnesota.