# Have you ever discovered a new fear in yourself? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422 "2023-11-01T15:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/61 "2023-11-03T21:02:32Z")
Maybe you’re a vampire? Seriously, that does sound scary. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/62 "2023-11-03T22:36:12Z")
That would freak me out, too. I am of course afraid of heights. It reminds me of a mural I saw in Guadalajara, Orozco I think it was. There’s a cathedral with the mural and then square in the middle of the floor is a big mirror. You look down into the mirror and you can see the top of the dome. It feels like you are going to fall right in. Even though I knew rationally it was just a mirror, I could barely look at it. Meanwhile little kids are banging their hands on it. 😂 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/63 "2023-11-03T23:06:58Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > You look down into the mirror and you can see the top of the dome. It feels like you are going to fall right in That reminds me of the goofy thing my brother and I did as young’uns where we would take an 8x10 mirror and walk around on the ceiling, stepping over the door things and avoiding the lamps. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/64 "2023-11-04T11:22:20Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Now that I’m older, fear of heights for a couple of sane reasons. I used to have a fear of heights, then I realized that instead I must have a fear of falling. But then I thought about it more and realized I don’t actually have a fear of heights, or of falling - I have a fear of landing! ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/65 "2023-11-04T11:40:32Z")
Username is very appropriate. What about falling forever? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/66 "2023-11-04T12:40:31Z")
A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I’m afraid of widths. ~Steven Wright After about the 10th MRI with no problem, feeling panic on the 11th one was new. It’s not a full blown phobia but as I get older I’m liking flying and turbulence less and less. > [@Railer13](#): > > > [@romansperson](#): > > > > Some people are much more bothered by the high-rise bridges > > The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is about 4 1/2 miles long and evidently is extremely daunting to some drivers, as there’s a service that will drive your car across the bridge for you. I’ve driven it a couple of times…I wasn’t exactly relaxed, but I made it across with no issues. I traveled to the DC area many times over the years. Then Waze happened. For the first time it had me go that way. It’s the only time I’ve felt anxiety going over a bridge. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/67 "2023-11-04T16:44:58Z")
I think the only time I’ve felt anxious driving over a bridge was on the Queen Juliana bridge in Curacao. It’s high and the railing seems pretty insubstantial. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/68 "2023-11-04T17:07:37Z")
I looked that bridge up, and on [this site](https://keycaribe.com/the-beautiful-juliana-bridge/) I found this quote: > The Juliana Bridge is meant for road traffic only as the wind and motion of the structure would make pedestrian or bicycle traffic far too dangerous. That does not inspire confidence. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/69 "2023-11-04T17:50:11Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I think the only time I’ve felt anxious driving over a bridge was on the Queen Juliana bridge in Curacao. It’s high and the railing seems pretty insubstantial. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge has a similar feel. It’s very high (about 200 feet) and feels flimsy. The big difference? I just looked up the Queen Juliana Bridge. It’s 500 meters. The Bay Bridge is _4.3 miles._ To add some confusion the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is completely different than the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The former is over the middle bay near Annapolis and the later is over and under the lower bay in Virginia. The CBBT is a long low bridge that makes you feel like you are driving on the surface of the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/70 "2023-11-04T17:56:22Z")
I discovered at about age 70 that nearby fireworks trigger a PTSD anxiety attack. Heights have always been a bit of an issue, but it wasn’t until I had a panic attack on a Ferris wheel that I realized how much worse it had gotten with age. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/71 "2023-11-04T18:05:20Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It’s the only time I’ve felt anxiety going over a bridge. I have recurring nightmares about going over steep bridges. I think I survive every time, but it is not pleasant. For some reason it’s usually the Mackinac bridge connecting the lower peninsula of Michigan to the UP. In reality, at least as far as I remember, it’s not a really scary bridge. But in my dreams, it always is. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/72 "2023-11-04T18:08:58Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I’m afraid of widths. ~Steven Wright I’m trying to parse this as a pure joke, but it’s not working, so I assume it’s a humorous way of saying he actually has agoraphobia? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/73 "2023-11-04T18:15:58Z")
I discovered an interesting thing about fear of heights in my flying days. I’d say I maybe have _slightly_ above average tolerance for heights, I’m okay with a bit of 3rd/4th class scrambling, but not a technical climber. I’ll tolerate exposure if I have to, but I definitely don’t like it. But I discovered that flying, even leaning out of a heli with the doors off and looking down, I have absolutely no reaction at all to just being high up when there is no terrain around. The instinctive reaction (for me at least) seems to require the presence of a cliff or something, something to fall “off”. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/74 "2023-11-04T18:20:29Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I’m trying to parse this as a pure joke, but it’s not working, so I assume it’s a humorous way of saying he actually has agoraphobia? Steven Wright (if you’re not familiar) made his name by doing non-sequitur and mixed metaphor humor. “My friend is a disc jockey. Whenever we walk under a bridge, I can’t hear him talking.” ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/75 "2023-11-04T18:55:03Z")
Yeah, you can’t really analyze Steven Wright jokes like that. They’re all just goofy nonsequiturs and playing with language. “I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.” “I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door. I said, ‘Hey, the sign says you’re open 24 hours.’ He said, ‘Yes, but not in a row.’” “What’s another word for ‘thesaurus’?” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/76 "2023-11-05T18:44:16Z")
It also helps to hear it in his flat deadpan delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/77 "2023-11-06T02:28:01Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > The common one is the seeding lotus head In the early 2000s someone photoshopped a lotus head on to a woman’s breast, making it look like the woman had some horrible disease. I’m 99% sure I had seen a lotus head before that, but after that I couldn’t look at one without revulsion ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/78 "2023-11-06T05:49:11Z")
As a kid, I found this Time magazine cover extremely disturbing: > **[Artzybasheff Time Magazine 1964 R Buckminster Fuller Architect UK Tate NO LABEL...](https://www.ebay.com/itm/186149481277?hash=item2b575fab3d:g:r78AAOSwVUxkMaf1&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8A4YytQYDdtj4qvZ5Mzjxjw6s68OuvKTzVNRGuPj42lvte5KCSm4M20ImhdDPbK3GOYPr3m3qseVxqNEdy989MMiEOBfmqfUXX8inEGkbGFbZOpJYyK6%2BObMK3G%2FG6nOtclMtPmQExZurkCBIGc1UQgbWnrC5XxjmeroYEOaeV%2BnPV%2BmUgIK1BwjcRlOmAEvTsZlpD23O28aLxTIB%2B6oV5u9q6lIwFl9FANyIahHuDmfNkjfjPsubalKA6D%2FORQGvPcQpuKuVC1jO8IDOwYaaGtFre3%2Bxn%2B%2B%2BzVDPOfLqojoKODp%2BGPS9Ua0FuHDvE7%2F7Q%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4zZobL0Yg)** > > Time Magazine 1964 - R Buckminster Fuller Architect Artzybasheff Cover - No Mailing Label Plus Britain’s Tate Gallery And more… Will be shipped safely in Hard Backed Envelope I’m guessing I have trypophobia. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422/79 "2023-11-09T16:44:03Z")
In China, it’s a common thing for street vendors to sell, as the seeds are edible. Which might be why I’m desensitized to those images. Otherwise, yeah, it looks like maggot-infested skin or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-discovered-a-new-fear-in-yourself/992422.md?page=3)