8 of The Rarest Phobias

Almost everybody has a phobia of something, whether that's Arachnophobia (the fear of spiders), Acrophobia (the fear of heights), or something else. While phobias like Arachnophobia and Acrophobia are very common, there are some fears that are so rare that many would see them as strange. Here are some of the rarest phobias.

Phronemophobia - The Fear of Thinking

Phronemophobia is the irrational fear of thinking. Thinking is an activity that the human brain never stops doing, yet there are many who have this fear that are afraid of thinking. This can be caused from traumatic events or growing up in a household where one is told to believe in believe in specific ideologies. For instance, if one were to grow up with strict families who would kick their child out of their homes if they didn't believe the same way they did, that child could develop Phronemophobia because they're afraid of forming their own opinion in order to not disappoint their parents and get kicked out. People with Phronemophobia may grow up to believe that their thoughts are invalid because of this treatment.

Source

Alektorophobia - Fear of Chickens

Alektorophobia is an irrational fear of chickens. According to healthline.com, people who grew up around chickens are more likely to develop a fear of them. As most phobias, Alektorophobia is formed from either a traumatic experience or if the people who raised them were afraid of chickens as well.

Phobophobia - Fear of Fears

Phobophobia is the fear of fear. This means that people who experience phobophobia are afraid of feeling fear. People with a fear of fear often go into life afraid of experiencing things because they would be afraid that what they encounter would be something they're afraid of. Having a fear of fear seems ironic, but as most phobias are, irrational. This can stem from traumatic experiences and the fear of going through something that will make them feel the same trauma again.

Source

Octophobia - Fear of the Number Eight

Octophobia is the fear of the number eight. Typically, when someone is afraid of a number, it is because of of that number's negative connotation (like the numbers 13 and 666). According to verywellmind.com, people who are apart of cultures where the number eight has importance are more likely to develop a fear of it. A few importances of the number eight include representing the immortals of Chinese lore, the amount of days during Hanukkah, having an affiliation with prosperity and immense wealth, and more. People can develop this fear from a traumatic event that includes the number 8 or a traumatic event occurring during a time where the number 8 has importance.

Genuphobia - Fear of Knees

Genuphobia is the irrational fear of knees. This means that someone with this fear either finds knees absolutely disgusting or is afraid of injuring their knees. According to healthgrades.com, even thinking about knees can cause someone anxiety. This fear can stem from a previous injury or abuse to one's knees. After experiencing such pain from said injury, the fear can develop from experiencing that pain again.

Xanthophobia - Fear of the Color Yellow

Xanthophobia is a fear of the color yellow. This means that someone with this fear wouldn't be able to spend any time near anything of the color yellow. People with this fear would be scared by anything yellow including bananas, school buses, sunflowers, and more. Like most phobias, this fear stems from a traumatic event. For this fear, that includes getting hit with a yellow car, getting stung by a bee, or any other traumatizing event that involved the color yellow (according to betterhelp.com).

Scriptophobia - Fear of Writing in Public

Scriptophobia the fear of writing in public and is a form of social anxiety. People with this fear tend to avoid any situations that require writing in public. This could stem from a traumatic experience that occurred while one was writing in public or because one was writing in public. This can cause those with this fear to have paranoia about writing in public and doing so is dangerous.

Chaetophobia - Fear of Hair

Chaetophobia is the irrational fear of hair, meaning that anyone with this fear is afraid of their own hair, other people's hair, or even animal fur. There is also the fear of losing hair or having any hair related health issues. People with this fear also could be scared of finding loose hairs that have fallen from one's head. People with this fear often believe that they are going to be attacked by the hair. Many chaetophobics won't let others touch their own hair (if they choose to grow it out and aren't afraid of it) because they're scared that it could cause them to lose their hair.

Final Thoughts

People with irrational fears often understand their fear is irrational, yet have no control of it. In most cases, these phobias stem from traumatic experiences and the best way to overcome it is to willing have an experience with the fear.

Read another: Why are People so Unkind on the Internet?