42 Rare Phobias That Sound Made-Up But Are Real

Optophobia (Fear of opening one’s eyes)

Given how difficult it is to go about everyday tasks without opening one’s eyes, this phobia can be incredibly crippling. Those with optophobia may prefer to remain at home or in settings with low lighting. Like many other rare phobias, this phobia is typically triggered by a horrific event, such as witnessing someone pass away.

Ephebiphobia (Fear of teenagers)

Teenagers may seem dangerous, disrespectful, unpredictable, and disobedient to those with ephebiphobia. The negative representation of youth in the media is believed to relate to this phobia. Individuals with ephebiphobia avoid being near teens out of fear of them. If they have adolescents, they could avoid visiting a friend’s house or bypass locations where teenagers would congregate.

Geliophobia (Fear of laughter)

In contrast to gelotophobia, the fear of being laughed at, those with the fear of laughter may detest the sound of others laughing or giggling. While some people may feel mildly uneasy, others may begin to hyperventilate and have full-blown panic attacks.

Chaetophobia (Fear of hair)

This phobia may manifest as a fear of one’s own hair or the hair of others, including animals. Chaetophobia can cause people to fear combing their own hair. They often find haircuts frightening and generally avoid circumstances involving other people touching their hair. This fear might result from a painful hair-related experience, such as getting a bad haircut, turning bald, or losing a lot of hair.

Lachanophobia (Fear of vegetables)

People with this phobia may experience severe anxiety while merely thinking or looking at veggies. People with lachanophobia will avoid vegetable aisles in grocery stores and picking up or touching vegetables at all costs. Although it's one of the oddest phobias, it is no laughing matter for those with it. On top of the adverse effects that fear has on their daily lives, people with a fear of vegetables frequently lack the necessary nutrients and experience health issues.

Pedophobia (Fear of children)

Even though they know their fear is irrational, people with this rare phobia experience heightened anxiety when they are near or even thinking about children. They may experience full-blown hysteria at the mere thought of coming into close proximity with a child. They could opt not to have children or avoid television, activities, and places where children may be present.

Eisoptrophobia (Fear of mirrors)

Individuals with this phobia fear looking in mirrors and would probably find infinity mirror rooms their biggest nightmare. In more severe cases, any reflecting surface could arouse this fear. The fear of mirrors can have superstitious roots (for example, breaking a mirror brings bad luck). Others might worry that they’ll see something supernatural in the mirror, like a ghost. This phobia may also develop from poor self-image.

Somniphobia (Fear of sleep)

You’ve probably heard of insomnia, but people with a fear of sleep experience anxiety that goes beyond that and may even cause panic attacks before going to bed or staying up to the point of exhaustion. Individuals with somniphobia often worry that something horrible will happen to them when they go to sleep. Fear of nightmares or experiencing sleep paralysis is a common cause.

Aibohphobia (Fear of palindromes)

Words that read the same front and back are known as palindromes. The made-up term “aibohp” is created by flipping the word “phobia,” making the name of the fear itself a whimsical palindrome. Since palindromes aren’t really dangerous, unlike spiders, it is perhaps one of the most irrational phobias.

Xanthophobia (Fear of yellow)

People with this uncommon phobia typically fear almost everything yellow, including flowers, school buses, or cheese. Xanthophobia heavily interferes with day-to-day living because of the prevalence of yellow objects. For instance, individuals with this condition could rid their homes of yellow objects.

Linonophobia (Fear of string)

The mere thought of string can make a person with linonophobia shiver. Linonophobia causes people to avoid using string or any activities or actions related to it, such as sewing or tying shoes. A person can develop linonophobia after going through a traumatic event, such as being kidnapped or tied up.

Pogonophobia (Fear of beards)

People with this irrational fear will avoid anyone with a beard. They may even feel anxious seeing a photograph of a bearded person. Those with a fear of birds typically won’t be friends with people who have beards and will feel extreme dread when speaking to them. This frequently occurs from a scary encounter with a bearded person.

Chiclephobia (Fear of chewing gum)

People with chiclephobia may experience stress and fear when they think about chewing gum, see someone else chewing it, or see an old piece of gum stuck on concrete. One reason for this phobia may be a traumatic event that occurred when the person was younger. They may remember touching gum stuck underneath the desk or having their loved one choke on it.

Alektrophobia (Fear of chickens or hens)

In one patient report, researchers described a case of an 18-year-old female with an intense fear of chickens and hens. This extremely rare phobia can be linked to the more prevalent ornithophobia, a fear of birds. Like other more common phobias, this instance was also linked to a traumatic encounter with a chicken as a child, which left the young woman with a permanent fear that caused anticipatory anxiety and complete avoidance of any setting where she may encounter a chicken.

Ambulophobia (Fear of walking and falling)

While it can occur at a relatively young age, this phobia frequently manifests itself when the person is well into adulthood. Some people with this condition fear walking on highly polished or uneven surfaces, while others feel unsteady and uneasy practically anywhere, especially when they are away from home, where they feel more vulnerable.

Gamophobia (Fear of commitment)

If we look at modern dating, it would appear that this phobia is relatively common. But it doesn’t apply to people who are "not ready for commitment.” At least not all of them. Because it hasn’t been examined closely enough, it's hard to determine how many cases there might be. Some instances are so severe that some individuals with gamophobia will avoid relationships altogether.

Symmetrophobia (Fear of symmetry)

A perfect circle is not your friend if you’re afraid of symmetry. Individuals with symmetrophobia could perceive symmetry as absolute perfection or a form of beauty they are unworthy to be around. Asymmetriphobia, on the other side, is the fear of asymmetrical objects.

Kathisophobia (Fear of sitting down)

After a hard day, you might be looking forward to sinking into a comfortable chair, but for other people, sitting down is something they will avoid at all costs. One person with kathisophobia was described as a man for whom sitting had come to symbolize his occupation as a goldworker. He hated his job so much that just sitting caused a neurotic reaction that made him quiver. Yet, for kids and teenagers, kathisophobia is mainly brought on by sitting in a classroom.

Aurophobia (Fear of gold)

Some people are not impressed by a piece of costly jewelry, especially those afraid of gold. When they notice someone else wearing the metal, they could have a panic attack followed by nausea, sweating, or an abnormal pulse. Sometimes, aurophobia is not just a fear of things made of gold, such as jewelry or statue; it is also a fear of things associated with gold, such as strength, success, riches, or status.

Globophobia (Fear of balloons)

In some globophobia cases, the phobia is so severe that even seeing a balloon on TV causes extreme stress. Due to the prevalence of balloons during kids’ birthday parties, this uncommon fear can be incredibly challenging for children. A balloon-related traumatic childhood experience often triggers it, for example, popping a balloon near the face and being startled by the loudness.