There are standard fears that we see used in the press everyday, like homophobia and archnaphobia. But there are some others that are bizarre and downright funny. I suppose they’re funny if you don’t suffer from the psychological condition that actually paralyzes you at the sight of say, chopsticks (Consecotaleophobia) or more severe, eating (Sitiophobia.) Life is difficult if you’re afraid of eating!
Peladophobia is another interesting condition, I guess it contributes to the worldwide sales of drugs like Rogaine. After all, it’s well known that fear is one of the strongest motivators for purchasing. Other interesting fear inspired products/concepts/ideas are cars (Ambulophobia), Fox “not” News (Phronemophobia), McDonalds (Geumaphobia), beards (Xyrophobia), Flander’s Leftorium (Dextrophobia), multi-level marketing schemes (Peniaphobia), MTV (Melophobia), sun glasses (Photoaugliaphobia), religion (Gnosiophobia), eHarmony (Anuptaphobia), hotels (Oikophobia), toothpaste and mouthwash (Alliumphobia), viagra/cialis/et al (Medomalacuphobia), lemon fresh Pledge (Amathophobia), reluctance to pull out of Iraq (Kakorrhaphiophobia), metamucil (Coprastasophobia), and deodorant (Osmophobia).
One thing is sure, after reading these terms I start to feel a touch of Hellenologophobia! Magic decoder of the referenced phobias available below the image…
Alliumphobia – Fear of garlic.
Amathophobia – Fear of dust.
Ambulophobia – Fear of walking.
Anuptaphobia – Fear of staying single.
Arachnaphobia – Fear of spiders.
Consecotaleophobia – Fear of chopsticks.
Coprastasophobia – Fear of constipation.
Dextrophobia – Fear of the right-side of the body.
Geumaphobia – Fear of taste.
Gnosiophobia – Fear of knowledge.
Hellenologophobia – Fear of Greek terms.
Homophobia – Fear of homosexuals.
Kakorrhaphiophobia – Fear of defeat.
Medomalacuphobia – Fear of losing an erection.
Melophobia – Fear or hatred of music.
Oikophobia – Fear of home surroundings.
Osmophobia – Fear of smells or odors.
Peladophobia – Fear of baldness.
Peniaphobia – Fear of poverty.
Photoaugliaphobia – Fear of glaring lights.
Phronemophobia – Fear of thinking.
Sitiophobia – Fear of food or eating.
Xyrophobia – Fear of razors. Tweet
Very good site! Thanks! 🙂
Very good =D
[…] Hellenologophobia – A humorous tour of various fears – Link to Entry […]
Very funny, y’all should add some more phobias!
-ASDFJKL;
this is the coolest phobia ever. i think that it would really wierd to have this phobia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great website & entertaining article.
I became so fascinated by unusual phobias that they inspired a suite of poems and ultimately a chapbook!
“phobiaphobia – poems of fear and anxiety” (Australia’s Picaro Press, 2007) includes work on xanthophobia, octophobia, suriphobia, scotomaphobia, telephonophobia, verbophobia, xenaphobia (that’s fear of Warrior Princesses!), metrophobia, genuphobia and nelophobia (you might need a dictionary for these!)
Ironically the fear of long words is a long word itself: sesquipedalophobia! My challenge was to write a poem using only one syllable words…Recently I’ve recorded this one with Max_Mo, a jazz/funk outfit. We re-named it “Small Stuff” (hear it here:
http://www.myspace.com/max-mo
Thanks for more phobia ideas!
Cheers from downunder,
rob walker