Funny, Fascinating and Weird Phobias

I have always been intrigued by funny phobias. Although I have a few fears (snakes and spiders for instance) I wouldn't call those fears phobias per se. I can still kill a spider, although I have to whack it with a very hard-soled shoe. When I see people smash a spider in a thin tissue it gives me shivers.

Still, if my fear of spiders were a real phobia, I would probably run away screaming at the sight of them. The only time I've done that is when I encountered a black widow spider. Their creepy bulbous bodies seriously scare me, so perhaps my only phobia is not a fear of spiders in general, but a fear of black widow spiders specifically.

Phobias are defined as an exaggerated and irrational fear of something that in reality poses little danger. Now that I think about it, having a fear of black widow spiders might not be an actual phobia, since a bite from one of those can actually kill you. Nevertheless, phobias can be long lasting and cause severe emotional and psychological distress. I don't wish to make light of phobias by writing this article. I know that for those who have them- be they funny phobias, fascinating phobias or downright weird phobias- it's a real problem that is often life altering.

Severe phobias can make it difficult to function in society, which is certainly no laughing matter. However, with more than 500 documented phobias, there are bound to be some fears that we non-phobics just don't "get." I've compiled a list of some funny phobias, fascinating phobias and weird phobias that interest me.

Funny Phobias

Podophobia: Fear of Feet. If the feet were ice cold, and placed on my body (especially while I was in bed and asleep), I could certainly understand this phobia. Feet are definitely unattractive to me, but I just can't see what harm they could do.

Pupaphobia: Fear of Puppets. Is it because they can be creepy looking, or brought to life by a hand inside of them? Is it all puppets, or just the ugly puppets?

Coulrophobia: Fear of Clowns. This is actually a fairly common phobia, and I find it rather amusing. Clowns are supposed to be a childhood delight. Perhaps the person was frightened by a clown as a child?

Peladophobia: Fear of Bald People. I wonder if what triggers this funny phobia is the actual shape of the human head. Is it that the hairless human skull is a somewhat odd-looking thing?

Logophobia: Fear of Words. Writers know just how dangerous words can be. Hence the expression, "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Metrophobia: Fear of Poetry. This is likely an offshoot of the fear of words. But does the person with this phobia only fear the words when they're in a poem?

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: Fear of Long Words. Another Logophobia offshoot. This phobia cracks me up because the person who named it obviously had a very quirky sense of humor!

Fascinating Phobias

Papaphobia: Fear of the Pope. While millions of people revere the Pope and seek his blessing, those with Papaphobia have a deep-seated fear of him or of the pacacy. They may also have a phobia of the Roman Catholic Church.

Lactaphobia: Fear of Milk. Mr. Monk, the USA network's most famous "Defective Detective," has a long list of phobias, one of which is the fear of milk. Actually, anyone who has accidentally taken a swig of soured milk could easily develop this phobia.

Dendrophobia: Fear of Trees. People will this fascinating phobia avoid forests, hiking trails, parks, and any outdoor activity where there are lots of trees. Sometimes, they are afraid of only one specific species of tree.

Blennophobia: Fear of Slime. Enough said.

Orthorexia Nervosa: Fear of unhealthy food. People with this phobia obsess over healthy eating and must maintain a diet free of fat, preservatives and sugar.

Kathisophobia: Fear of sitting down. This phobia would make it pretty hard to travel.

Weird Phobias

Cyberphobia: Fear of Computers, working on computers, or technology. I don't imagine there are any associated content writers with this phobia.

Koumpounophobia: Fear of Buttons. People with this weird phobia dread the thought, feel, smell, and sight of buttons, and won't wear any clothes that have buttons on them.

Phagophobia: Fear of Swallowing. In milder cases people who suffer from this phobia will only eat soft or liquid foods. Extreme cases can lead to fear of eating, weight loss and malnutrition.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13^th. This is an offshoot of a more common phobia, triskaidekaphobia, which is fear of the number 13. While many superstitious people think bad things will happen on Friday the 13^th, Paraskavedekatriaphobics find this day debilitating. Luckily for them, most years only have one Friday the 13^th (2009 has three, but two have already passed).

Pogonophobia: Fear of Beards. I have seen some pretty unkempt beards myself, so maybe this isn't such a weird phobia after all.

The Fear of Speed Cameras doesn't have an official name yet, but a man named Colin Grant in the U.K. has to drive hours out of his way to avoid the cameras, lest he suffer anxiety and panic attacks. Presumably, he is petrified that the cameras could be accidentally triggered and thus, mar his clean driving record.

What are some of your favorite funny phobias, fascinating phobias or weird phobias?

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