Gasconade County Republican

By Brittni Cebulak

In our modern world, there are many things to be terrified of—terrorism, disease, and nuclear destruction from enemy countries, for example. However, would it surprise you to know that in our crazy, mixed-up world there are people afraid of simple, everyday things? The following is a list of thirteen of some of the oddest phobias on record:

Fear of Friday the 13^th. Plenty of people believe that this is a day of bald luck, but the outright fear of the day is called friggartriskaidekaphobia (this long, complicated word was invented in 1911 and became “mainstream” in 1953). The superstition of Friday the 13^th dates back to Biblical times, where it is believed that thirteen is an unlucky number because there were thirteen people at the Last Supper. In addition, Fridays have been associated with many disasters since the 1800s.

• Fear of vampires. Despite the fact that Pop Culture has practically been idolizing vampires through movies such as Twilight and TV shows like Trueblood, there are some people who breakdown at the mere thought of the “bloodsuckers.” The phobia is known as sanguivoriphobia—literally meaning “fear of blood eaters,” aka vampires.

• Fear of money. This odd phobia is known as chrometophobia. Who on Earth could possibly be afraid of money?

• Fear of teenagers. Ephebiphobia. Well, there is not much that you can say for this group of people. What do they do if they have kids and they grow to be teenagers? Do they just kick them out of the house or put them up for adoption? Needless to say, these individuals need to stay away from movie theaters, malls, and pretty much any recreation place that allows people of all ages—all places teenagers tend to flock to in their free time.

• Fear of sleep. Are you tired? If you are suffering from somniphobia, you will more than likely not be catching Z’s anytime soon.

• Fear of learning. The fear of learning is known as sophophobia, and if you have this fear you are definitely not the smartest person in the room. Why do I have the strangest feeling that many students are going to suddenly “develop” this phobia?

• Fear of Flowers. Roses are red; violets are blue . . . if you have anthophobia you are probably quaking in your boots. Despite their pleasing fragrances and colors, some people find flowers to be as terrifying as a two pound tarantula. Be sure the check with your significant other to make sure they do not have this phobia if you plan on buying them roses for Valentine’s Day!

• Fear of drinking alcohol. If you are dipsophobic, you may be considered a Good Samaritan in the eyes of law enforcement and various religious sects. Of all the phobias, this one might be the wisest and most admirable in a person—if that makes any sense.

• Fear of garlic. Do not take a person who suffers from alliumphobia to an Italian restaurant. Even though onions can make you cry, garlic is enough to make some people break down in complete and utter terror.

• Fear of wines. If you have oenophobia, your most ideal friends would be the people from number eight on the list—both have a fear of alcohol. Do not let the fancy bottled grape juice at the store fool you—it is safe.

• Fear of the sun. This phobia is known as heliophobia, and if you have it you will probably not be going to the beach anytime soon. I recommend taking some Vitamin D capsules.

• Fear of vegetables. The perfect excuse for kids who do not want to eat their greens—lachanophobia. It is safe to say that people who suffer from this phobia will not be visiting a salad bar in the near future.

• Fear of music. It must be a quiet world for people with melophobia. Do they put in headphones and listen to silence? At any rate, they will not be going to any concerts—ever.

That concludes the recounting of thirteen of some of the strangest phobias. Scary? Not at all. Ridiculous? That is for you to decide. However, the saddest part of all of this is the fact that these are real fears that real people have to deal with in life. Imagine how hard it would be to go through your existence fearing the simple things—the things that you can see anywhere and everywhere and at anytime. I can imagine these people are always on edge, never being allowed a moment’s respite. Therefore, sympathies are in order—even if we are unable to grasp and understand such crippling fears. You never know when or if you are going to discover you have a strange phobia.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/health/2009/10/27/oddest-fears/#slide=1