Fear is one of the most primitive emotions . Absolutely all animals experience it in one way or another, since it is the natural and inevitable response of our body to situations that are threatening, whether instinctively or rationally.
Fear is an evolutionary strategy for animals (not only for humans) and it is essential to guarantee survival, as it is the body’s way of telling us to flee quickly and igniting the “spark” that allows action fast.
And, although in animals these fears are encoded in genetics, the problem in humans is that another character comes into play: consciousness. That is, not only do we have innate fears, but we can mold them throughout our lives based on lived experiences, changes in brain function, what surrounds us …
- We recommend you read: “Why do we feel fear?”
Thus, many of us begin to fear objects and situations that, although from a rational point of view it is seen that there is no real danger (or very little), for that person they represent a real threat and the body shoots the reaction to flee. These irrational fears are phobias .
What is a phobia?
A phobia is a very strong and irrational fear of objects and situations that, although they do not represent a real danger, generates a response in the body typical of exposure to a real threat.
Phobias, therefore, are a type of anxiety disorder that “triggers” when it comes into contact with the trigger and causes negative feelings in the person, so it is very common for people with a phobia to avoid it by all the media exposure to what they are afraid of.
Phobias are irrational, so you don’t have to question someone why they are afraid. They are born both from their genes and from the influence of the environment, so people cannot control the appearance of a phobia.
Fear of open or closed spaces, fear of flying, fear of heights, fear of certain animals, fear of water, fear of blood… These are some of the most common phobias, mental pathologies that occur with anxiety, that are long-lasting and that not only produce unpleasant psychological reactions for the affected person, but also translate into physical manifestations.
Although it is not always necessary, psychological therapies are a good treatment for phobias , as they can help the person to locate, process and combat fear, thus “curing” the phobia normally permanently.
Why do phobias appear?
The cause of phobias remains, in part, one of the great mysteries of psychology. In many cases of phobias it is difficult to find the origin of the phobia since, although it is true that many of them appear after the experience of negative experiences, genetics, the environment and brain function also play an important role. .
That is, phobias can be encoded in the person’s genes, although it is not yet very clear if the hereditary factor can be applied in these disorders. In addition, the environment in which the person lives may or may not trigger the expression of these genes linked to phobias, so their appearance would be due to a very complex interaction between genes and the environment.
And not only that, because the changes in brain activity that a person undergoes throughout his life can also incite or not the development of phobias.
Therefore, the experience of traumatic and negative events is only one of the several elements that play a role in the appearance of phobias , so it is not always easy to locate the origin of these fears.
How does a phobia manifest?
The clearest sign that a person suffers from a phobia is that he avoids exposure to that situation or object of which he is afraid by all possible means. But keep in mind that a phobia is not a common fear, a phobia is an anxiety disorder .
For this reason, phobias have their own symptoms of a disease, and it is that exposure to fear generates unpleasant sensations in the person not only on a psychological level, but also on a physical level.
In any case, the most common thing is that phobias are mild disorders, that is, they do not have very disabling symptoms. In fact, everyone has some irrational fear of something. The problem comes when the reaction is uncontrolled, because at this point it does affect the quality of life of the person.
When a person with a strong phobia is exposed to what scares them, it is expressed with the following symptoms: sweating, shortness of breath, strong desire to flee, tremors, rapid heartbeat, panic and fear, chest tightness, nausea, dizziness (even fainting), crying, anxiety, extreme fear …
Some of the phobias can be controlled in the sense that it is easy to avoid exposure to fears , but some of them are very difficult to regulate, so many people end up suffering social isolation, abusing substances, having problems in personal relationships and work, going through mood disorders and there is even an increased risk of suicide.
What are the most common phobias?
Humans can develop a phobia of absolutely any imaginable object or situation, so the world of phobias is immense.
However, there are some that have a higher incidence, either due to a natural tendency to do so or because they are the ones that can come from negative experiences more easily. Here are some of the most common phobias .
- Claustrophobia
It is the fear of spending time in a closed space.
- Agoraphobia
It is the fear of open spaces, crowds and public places. Being on the street is a real problem.
- Aerophobia
It is the fear of flying in airplanes.
- Acrophobia
It is the fear of heights, whether from buildings or cliffs.
- Social phobia
It is the fear of being exposed to social situations, either by being humiliated, rejected or being evaluated negatively.
- Belonephobia
It is the fear of all the sharp objects that the person may run into.
- Glossophobia
It is the fear of speaking in public.
- Coulrophobia
The fear of clowns is one of the most common, especially in childhood.
- Cynophobia
It is the fear of dogs, although it may be of some certain breeds.
- Hemophobia
It is fear or just apprehension of blood.
- Scotophobia
Fear of the dark is one of the most common phobias in the world.
- Trypophobia
It is the fear of apprehension of geometric figures close together and groups of holes.
- Arachnophobia
The fear of spiders is one of the most frequent phobias since apprehension of them could be encoded in our instincts.
- Thanatophobia
It is the fear of dying or even death itself.
- Phobophobia
It is the fear of suffering from phobias.
- Ophidiophobia
It is the fear of snakes.
- Myrmecophobia
It is the fear of ants.
- Entomophobia
It is the fear of insects in general.
- Agrizophobia
It is the fear of wild animals.
- Ailurophobia
It is the fear of cats.
- Ornithophobia
It is the fear of birds. That of pigeons is the most common.
- Ametophobia
It is the fear of dust or dirt in general.
- Amaxophobia
It is the fear of driving or even being inside motor vehicles.
- Apiphobia
It is the fear of wasps and / or bees.
- Pyrophobia
It is the fear of fire.
- Astraphobia
It is the fear of thunder and lightning.
- Ataxophobia
It is the fear or apprehension of disorder.
- Automisophobia
It is the fear of poor personal hygiene, of getting dirty or smelling bad.
- Catoptrophobia
It is the fear of mirrors.
- Dentophobia
It is the fear of dentists and / or going to a dental consultation.
- Distichiphobia
It is the fear of suffering an accident of any kind.
- Hydrophobia
It is the fear of water.
- Electrophobia
It is the fear of being electrocuted or even of electricity itself.
- eremophobia
It is the fear of loneliness or even being alone for a while.
- Fasmophobia
It is the fear of ghosts.
- Anginophobia
It is the fear of drowning or being strangled.
- Echinophobia
It is the fear of horses.
- Iatrophobia
It is the fear of going to the doctor or going to a hospital.
- Vaccinophobia
It is the fear of receiving a vaccine because of the fear of needles.
- Thalassophobia
It is the fear of the sea.
