Weird Fears

Today is Friday the 13th. A day about luck and fear. Y'know, phobias. Like triskaidekaphobia. The fear of the number thirteen. Here are some unusual phobias.

Stephen King is a master horror writer because he knows what scares people. People like you and me. Here are some unusual phobias that you might not have heard of.

Earlier this year, Indiatimes.com put together a list of Weird Phobias you might not have heard of, but are real. Here are just a few.

Nomophobia - Fear of being without mobile phone coverage. It's exactly what it sounds like. It's a fear of losing a network, battery, even sight of your mobile phone!

Somniphobia - You've heard or experienced insomnia, not being able to fall asleep. Somniphobia is being afraid to fall asleep. This is an irrational fear of dying, or losing time while you're asleep.

Papaphobia - Fear of the Pope. This is a fear of authority, saints or holy men.

Trypophobia - People that suffer from this phobia can have a panic attack when they see small holes, like a honeycomb or in a sponge.

Omphalophobia - Fear of navels. No, not a fear of oranges or sea-faring men in white uniforms, but fear of belly buttons!

Have a look at some other phobias here.

As you can see, a lot of fears and phobias seem irrational. Maybe to you and me. But the person or people that suffer a particular phobia can become paralyzed by the particular fear. I walk very slow and squeeze my wife's hand a little tighter on the top floor of the Mall of America because I have a little acrophobia. After high school, I tried carpentry and roofing, but I could never make it up a ladder onto a roof. So, what scares you?