Five weirdest phobias you probably haven't heard of
What's the story
Everyone is afraid of something. However, fear is not the same as a phobia.
A phobia is characterized by a persistent fear or avoidance of a specific stimulus.
In addition, such fear can cause significant distress or somehow impairs one's personal life.
Quite literally, we can be afraid of just about anything. Keep reading to know about the most unusual phobias out there.
Smartphone
Nomophobia - Fear of being without your mobile phone
Can't stay away from your phone? You probably have nomophobia.
Nomophobia is simply the fear of being detached from mobile phones.
People with this condition may also experience anxiety when their phones run out of battery, has no network, or are simply lost.
Its symptoms may manifest as the inability to turn off the phone, or worrying about being disconnected from the internet.
Number eight
Octophobia - Fear of the number eight
Octophobia refers to the fear of the number eight.
People with this phobia may avoid looking at addresses or advertisements containing eight. They might also be afraid of items in groups of eight.
The digit's likeness to the infinity symbol may be the cause of this unusual anxiety.
It might also result from an accident that occurred on the eighth day of the month.
Yellow
Xanthophobia - Fear of the color yellow
Xanthophobia is a form of chromophobia, which is a more general term for the fear of colors.
It relates to an unreasonable dread of the color yellow.
This phobia can lead to severe symptoms of anxiety and seriously impair an individual's ability to function.
People with xanthophobia might even refrain from leaving the house to avoid coming across anything yellow.
Belly buttons
Omphalophobia - Fear of belly buttons
Not everyone is a fan of the belly button.
A person having omphalophobia fears the belly button or the navel.
Those suffering from this phobia might hate seeing or touching them, whether it's their own or someone else's.
They actively try to steer clear of them.
If they happen to see someone's belly button, they get overwhelmed or start to panic.
Balloons
Globophobia - Fear of balloons
It might seem fun to pop balloons, but not everyone enjoys it.
Most frequently affecting children, globophobia is a fear that is characterized by an excessive and irrational dread of balloons.
The individual might fear balloons popping, or particularly the sound of a balloon popping.
Even if there is no actual risk to them, the person might have a dread of them, anyway.