Some Unusual Phobias

Human mind is susceptible to myriad perceptions that enter it from nowhere and create situations that are both amenable and fearful. Phobia represents the negative aspect of human perception that is as varied as human thought process itself.

Phobias are plenty but there are some that appear unusual and funny at the outset but they do exist. Some of them are given below.

Alliumphobia – Fear of garlic

Garlic is universally admired and widely used but some are scared of it. They are afraid of the pungent smell of garlic and refuse to enter the place that smells of garlic.

Somniphobia – Fear of falling asleep

People usually look forward to sleep and look for opportunities to lie-in for longer than they can afford to. But the poor souls afflicted with this phobia are actually scared of getting some shuteye and spend their hours wide awake terrified of the moment when they fall asleep.

Chaetophobia – Fear of hair

From loose bits lying around to the stuff on their own bodies, Chaetophobics become afraid at the sight of hair. It may be laughable but not for those who seek therapy to help tackle their condition.

Globophobia – Fear of balloons

Globophobics are scared of balloons, or more specifically the sound they make when they pop. It appears strange but the sound of bursting balloons often scare people but not to the extent that the sufferers of this condition experience.

Xanthophobia – Fear of the colour yellow

This again is an unusual phobia that scares its sufferers who have a deathly fear of the colour yellow and in some cases some of them get jittery if the word is uttered in front of them.

Genuphobia – Fear of knees

Named after the Latin word “genu” meaning knees, Genuphobics are scared stiff of the joint that most of us take for granted. In some cases the sufferers are not only afraid of their own knees but are terrified of knees all out.

Siderophobia – Fear of stars

Human beings like gazing at stars but the people afflicted with this condition invariably keep their curtains drawn and are hit by panic if they see a star.

Phobophobia – Fear of phobias

Phobophobics spend their lives worried that they will someday suffer from one phobia or the other. It may sound funny but is actually taken seriously by the sufferers of this condition.