# Odd and Irrational Phobias **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2004, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448 "2004-06-15T10:51:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/41 "2004-06-16T13:41:38Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I’m afraid of tuna. I don’t know why. The smell of it makes me nauseous, and gods forbid anyone come too close to me while carrying it. I’m fairly certain my tunaphobia has its roots in something awful my brother did to me when I was too young to remember. He’s very fond of tuna. Yeah, Tuna’s classification as “food” is something I’ve never been able to fathom. > [@](#): > > Earwigs. My summer camp was full of them, and someone told me why they’re called _ear_wigs. I had nightmares for years. Ah, _Wrathofkhanophobia_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/42 "2004-06-16T13:55:30Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Ah, _Wrathofkhanophobia_. Oh. My. Gods. You’ve hit it. I can’t _believe_ that never occurred to me. Poor Chekhov getting the little squiggly wormy pinchy thing in the ear … _uncontrollable shuddering_ I can remember my parents forcing me to see that in the theater … back when I didn’t give a damn about Trek and thought I never would. Now, of course, I have a cat named Khan. 🙂 But I still hate earwigs. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/43 "2004-06-16T14:01:36Z")
Eating vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Jamlad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@Jamlad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamlad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/44 "2004-06-16T14:24:19Z")
> [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > Having my neck/throat area touched, even innocuously, even just a little _brush_, by other people. I can touch my own throat and neck to my heart’s content, but when others do it I curl up and squeal bloody murder. Even just thinking about it gives me the creeps. I have had neckophobia since I was a kid. Just writing about it is giving me the willies. I thought I was alone. ---
**Author:** ![MamaHen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@MamaHen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MamaHen)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/45 "2004-06-16T14:27:14Z")
I can’t handle not being in the correct lane while driving. This weekend while driving to KCDope **Whammo** drove my car, he thought it would be funny to not get into the exit lane until the last minute. I squeezed my knees so hard that I have bruises on them. I just really freak out about it. I also hate being starred at. My sister can make me curl up in a little ball wimpering just by looking at me and refusing to stop. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/46 "2004-06-16T14:46:10Z")
I hate movies. But not just any movie: specifically any movie that involves 1) seriously explored terror or 2) humiliation. 1. Sitting through “Sixth Sense” gave me a panic attack, but I can watch, say, action or horror movies as long as they’re campy. Actually, I have rather a taste for bad action movies (I liked “The Art of War” and “Kiss of the Dragon”(?).) For some reason, this doesn’t apply to anime either. 2. Humiliation, though, I can’t stand under any circumstances – when they’ve been building it up for the last five minutes as movies are frequently wont to do. I have to leave the room; I can’t bring myself to watch it unfold. I never know when these things are gonna come out of nowhere, so I scarcely ever watch movies. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/47 "2004-06-16T14:47:52Z")
> [@MamaHen](#): > > I also hate being starred at. My sister can make me curl up in a little ball wimpering just by looking at me and refusing to stop. I fear being _thought_ to be staring. Say I’m in the metro – I’ll be looking all over, up at the ceiling, out the window, rather than directing my gaze at anyone I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/48 "2004-06-16T14:51:18Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > Oh. My. Gods. You’ve hit it. I can’t _believe_ that never occurred to me. Poor Chekhov getting the little squiggly wormy pinchy thing in the ear … _uncontrollable shuddering_ > > I can remember my parents forcing me to see that in the theater … back when I didn’t give a damn about Trek and thought I never would. > > Now, of course, I have a cat named Khan. 🙂 But I still hate earwigs. Glad I could help pin that down. 😉 In retrospect, it was a fairly creepy scene for a Star Trek movie. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/49 "2004-06-16T15:36:54Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > Earwigs. My summer camp was full of them, and someone told me why they’re called _ear_wigs. I had nightmares for years. I don’t know if this will do any good now but you were fed a very old [folktale](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/bugear.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/50 "2004-06-16T16:16:24Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > I don’t know if this will do any good now but you were fed a very old [folktale](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/bugear.htm). AHHH!! Why did I read that? Eww! This is _precisely_ what I’m afraid of!! Not that it will chew through my head, but that it’ll get stuck there. Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew … ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/51 "2004-06-16T16:34:32Z")
I’m afraid of stepping on a crack in the sidewalk. I also am afraid of spiders…totally irrational, but they are just so creepy! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/52 "2004-06-16T16:38:38Z")
I have aibohphobia - fear of palindromes 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/53 "2004-06-16T17:07:54Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But at least I’m not as bad as one of my coworkers, who is afraid Mary Worth will slash her from the other side of the bathroom mirror. > [@Abbie Carmichael](#): > > The comic strip character? > [@matt\_mcl](#): > > No, the one where if you say her name three times she’ll come out of the mirror and kill you (also known as Bloody Mary). Mary Worth Mary Worth Mary Worth God, what a load of bullsh **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGxx** rghghhxthlexkkk… [gurgle] ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/54 "2004-06-16T17:19:12Z")
I’ve got a phobia of falling/jumping from high distances. I can’t look down a stairwell without getting panicky. (I have no problems with heights themselves, though, and ironically enough I \love\ climbing on those net things.) I’m totally paralyzed around cockroaches if I’m not wearing shoes–if I am, I just gleefully stomp them. Spiders also kind of give me the willies, but only if they are in danger of crawling onto me. I have nightmares about small, sharp things–pins, needles, razors, etc.–but then again I do accidentally hurt myself a lot. I like the comfort of a small, enclosed spaces, but I’m terrified of being suffocated. (Yeesh. Am I a basket case or what?) ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/55 "2004-06-16T20:06:10Z")
Monkeys! A friend of my dad had a pet chimpanzee. They made me hold it, and it kept touching my face with it’s creepy little hands. The little ones don’t bother me as much, but I always avoid any monkey exhibit at the zoo. Gorillas are cool though. ---
**Author:** ![Mandarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mandarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mandarin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/56 "2004-06-16T20:15:56Z")
I have phobophobia…I’m afraid of being afraid. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![The\_world\_s\_most\_deadliest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@The\_world\_s\_most\_deadliest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_world_s_most_deadliest)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/57 "2004-06-16T20:59:13Z")
Its probably not a phobia, but I **hate** the sound of fingernails/toenails scraping across bedsheets. I can’t stand it. I’ve never run into anyone else that shares my passionate distaste for the sound. ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/58 "2004-06-16T21:56:23Z")
My sister’s friend is afraid of _buttons_. The more thread holes, the worse. ---
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/59 "2004-06-16T22:06:23Z")
Does anyone else have the intense adversity to eye contact that I experience? I can’t look straight into anyone’s eyes for more than a few seconds, period. Nobody. Under any circumstances. Not even my boyfriend. Not even my _mom_!! I’m not shy nor do I have anything to hide, but my refusal to maintain eye contact has caused many to believe I am bashful or shifty or plain disinterested. I try to work around this problem by finding different pretexts to not meet someone’s gaze with my own. Usually I just focus on some part of their shoulder or something. I’m afraid this fear has caused many to get a wrong first impression of me. I’m guessing this might be a fairly common phobia/affliction/quirk/whatever? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448/60 "2004-06-16T22:10:53Z")
> [@MamaHen](#): > > I can’t handle not being in the correct lane while driving. This weekend while driving to KCDope **Whammo** drove my car, he thought it would be funny to not get into the exit lane until the last minute. I squeezed my knees so hard that I have bruises on them. I just really freak out about it. I’m this way too. I’m afraid that the driver will decide to cross over lanes at the last minute and some accident will occur. I have to really watch myself and make sure I don’t turn into some harping nag. “You should be in that lane. Switch over now!” As for me, my own personal phobia is Ventriloquist dummies. I was in an antique store earlier this year and I saw this dummy staring at me behind class. Very creepy. Oddly enough, I’ve rarely come across any vent dummies in my life. But I am sure that if one of those things was in my room at night, I would not be able to sleep at all. And books like the Goosebump book _Night of the Living Dummy_ (I think the cover of that book is what got me frightened of the wooden monsters). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-and-irrational-phobias/250448.md?page=4)