Whether it be changing jobs, or not being financially secure, or having your child abducted, everyone has something to be afraid of in this world. Most fears are easily justified. It could be the number of car accidents reported on a particular highway section, or the startling amount of gunshots in a neighborhood. It could be the amount of hurricanes in the south, or the staggering number of young adults being diagnosed with Diabetes. A lot of things scare us.

But some things are just absurd.

A phobia is an irrational fear of something. Meaning, you're scared of something that you have no real reason to be afraid of. Phobias are psychological phenomenas that grip many people; there is no little bubble of specific phobias in one place. Almost everyone has one. A lot of people are able to overcome them. But there are some phobias that really are crazy, and I would like to share with you the most confusing, confounding, and hilarious phobias to date. Ready? Here we go!

• Ablutophobia - Fear of washing or bathing.
• Acousticophobia - Fear of noise.
• Agyrophobia - Fear of streets or crossing the street.
• Alektorophobia - Fear of chickens.
• Alliumphobia - Fear of garlic.
• Allodoxaphobia - Fear of opinions.
• Ambulophobia - Fear of walking.
• Anablephobia - Fear of looking up.
• Ancraophobia - Fear of wind.
• Angrophobia - Fear of becoming angry.
• Ankylophobia - Fear of immobility of a joint.
• Anthrophobia - Fear of flowers.
• Anuptaphobia - Fear of staying single.
• Apeirophobia - Fear of infinity.
• Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
• Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders.
• Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers.
• Astrophobia - Fear of stars and celestial space.
• Asymmetriphobia - Fear of asymmetrical things.
• Atychiphobia - Fear of failure.
• Aulophobia - Fear of flutes.
• Aurophobia - Fear of gold.
• Auroraphobia - Fear of Northern Lights.
• Autodysomophobia - Fear that one has a vile odor.
• Automatonophobia - Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues-anything that falsely represents a sentient being.
• Automysophobia - Fear of being dirty.
• Barophobia - Fear of gravity.
• Batonophobia - Fear of plants.
• Bibliophobia - Fear of books.
• Bogyphobia - Fear of bogies or the bogeyman.
• Bolshephobia - Fear of Bulsheviks.
• Bromidrophobia - Fear of body smells.
• Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness.
• Caligynephobia - Fear of beautiful women.
• Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed.
• Cathisophobia - Fear of sitting.
• Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors.
• Chaetophobia - Fear of hair.
• Cherophobia - Fear of gaiety.
• Chorophobia - Fear of dancing.
• Chromatophobia - Fear of colors.
• Chrometophobia - Fear of money.
• Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks.
• Chronophobia - Fear of time.
• Cibophobia - Fear of food.
• Climacophobia - Fear of stairs, climbing or of falling downstairs.
• Clinophobia - Fear of going to bed.
• Cnidophobia - Fear of strings.
• Cyberphobia - Fear of computers or working on a computer.
• Cyclophobia - Fear of bicycles.
• Decidophobia - Fear of making decisions.
• Defecaloesiphobia - Fear of painful bowel movements.
• Deipnophobia - Fear of dining and dinner conversation.
• Dementophobia - Fear of insanity.
• Dendrophobia - Fear of trees.
• Dentophobia - Fear of dentists.
• Dextrophobia - Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
• Didaskaleinophobia - Fear of going to school.
• Dikephobia - Fear of justice.
• Diplophobia - Fear of double vision.
• Dipsophobia - Fear of drinking.
• Dishabiliophobia - Fear of undressing in front of someone.
• Domatophobia - Fear of houses or being in a home.
• Ecclesiophobia - Fear of church.
• Electrophobia - Fear of electricity.
• Eleutherophobia - Fear of freedom.
• Enosiophobia - Fear of having committed an unpardonable sin or of criticism.
• Eosophobia - Fear of dawn or daylight.
• Epistemphobia - Fear of knowledge.
• Eremophobia - Fear of being oneself or of lonliness.
• Ergophobia - Fear of work.
• Erythrophobia - Fear of redlights. Fear of blushing. Fear of red.
• Euphobia - Fear of hearing good news.
• Geliophobia - Fear of laughter.
• Geniophobia - Fear of chins.
• Genophobia - (mature content)
• Genuphobia - Fear of knees.
• Gephydrophobia - Fear of crossing bridges.
• Gerontophobia - Fear of old people or of growing old.
• Geumophobia - Fear of taste.
• Graphophobia - Fear of writing or handwritting.
• Gymnophobia - (slight mature content)
• Hagiophobia - Fear of saints or holy things.
• Hedonophobia - Fear of feeling pleasure.
• Heliophobia - Fear of the sun.
• Hellenologophobia - Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.
• Hereiophobia - Fear of challenges to official doctrine or of radical deviation.
• Heterophobia - Fear of the opposite sex.
• Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - Fear of long words.
• Hodophobia - Fear of road travel.
• Homilophobia - Fear of sermons.
• Hygrophobia - Fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture.
• Hylophobia - Fear of forests.
• Hynophobia - Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.
• Hypengyophobia - Fear of responsibility.
• Iatrophobia - Fear of going to the doctor or doctors.
• Ideophobia - Fear of ideas.
• Ithyphallophobia - (mature content)

The J ones (the two that there are listed) are a little racist, so we're not going to post them.

• Kinesophobia - Fear of movement or motion.
• Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms.
• Kolpophobia - (mature content)
• Kosmikophobi - Fear of cosmic phenomenon.
• Kyphophobia - Fear of stooping.
• Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables.
• Laliophobia - Fear of speaking.
• Leukophobia - Fear of the color white.
• Levophobia - Fear of things to the left side of the body.
• Liticaphobia - Fear of lawsuits.
• Lockiophobia - Fear fo childbirth.
• Logizomechanophobia - Fear of computers.
• Logophobia - Fear of words.
• Lutraphobia - Fear of otters.
• Macrophobia - Fear of long waits.
• Mageirocophobia *- Fear of cooking.
• Maieusiophobia - Fear of childbirth.
• Malaxophobia - Fear of love play.
• Mechanophobia - Fear of machines.
• Medomalacuphobia - (mature content)
• Medorthophobia - (mature content)
• Megalophobia - Fear of large things.
• Melanophobia - Fear of the color black.
• Melophobia - Fear of hatred or music.
• Mertophobia - Fear or hatred of poetry.
• Metallophobia - Fear of metal.
• Metathesiophobia - Fear of changes.
• Methyphobia - Fear of alcohol.
• Microphobia - Fear of small things.
• Mnemophobia - Fear of memories.
• Monophobia - Fear of solitude or being alone.
• Motorphobia - Fear of automobiles.
• Musophobia - Fear of mice.
• Mycophobia - Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
• Mythophobia - Fear of myths or stories or false statements.
• Namatophobia - Fear of names.
• neophobia - Fear of anything new.
• Nephophobia - Fear of clouds.
• Nostophobia - Fear of returning home.
• Novercaphobia - Fear of your step-mother.
• Numerophobia - Fear of numbers.
• Ochophobia - Fear of vehicles.
• Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
• Odontophobia - Fear of teeth or dental surgery.
• Odynophobia - Fear of pain.
• Oenophobia - Fear of wines.
• Olfactophobia - Fear of smells.
• Ombrophobia - Fear of rain or being rained on.
• Ommatophobia - Fear of eyes.
• Oneirogmophobia - (mature content)
• Oneirophobia - Fear of dreams.
• Onomatophobia - Fear of hearing a certain word or names.
• Opthalmophobia - Fear of being stared at.
• Optophobia - Fear of opening one's eyes.
• Orthophobia - Fear of property.
• Ouranophobia - Fear of heaven.
• Pantophobia - Fear of everything.
• Papaphobia - Fear fo the Pope.
• Papyrophobia - Fear of paper.
• Parthenophobia - Fear of virgins or young girls.
• Patroiophobia - Fear of heredity.
• Pedophobia - Fear of children.
• Pentheraphobia - Fear of mother-in-law.
• Phallophobia - (mature content)
• Pharmacophobia - Fear of taking medicine.
• Phengophobia - Fear of daylight or sunshine.
• Philosophobia - Fear of philosophy.
• Phobophobia - Fear of phobias.
• Phonophobia - Fear of noises or voices or one's own voice; of telephones.
• Photophobia - Fear of light.
• Phronemophobia - Fear of thinking.
• Plutophobia - Fear of wealth.
• Pogonophobia - Fear of beards.
• Politicophobia - Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians.
• Polyphobia - Fear of many things.
• Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple.
• Psellismophobia - Fear of stuttering.
• Psychophobia - Fear of mind.
• Pteronophobia - Fear of being tickled by feathers.

Oh darn, no Q's.

• Rhabdophobia - Fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod, or of being severely criticized. Also fear of magic. (wand)
• Rhytiphobia - Fear of getting wrinkles.
• Rupophobia - Fear of dirt.
• Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween.
• Scatophobia - Fear of fecal matter.
• Sciophobia - Fear of shadows.
• Scriptophobia - Fear of writing in public.
• Selaphobia - Fear of light flashes.
• Selenophobia - Fear of the moon.
• Sinistrophobia - Fear of things to the left, left-handed.
• Sitophobia - Fear of food or eating.
• Soceraphobia - Fear of parents-in-law.
• Sophophobia - Fear of learning.
• Spacephobia - Fear of outer space.
• Stasibasiphobia - Fear fo standing or walking.
• Staurophobia - Fear of crosses or the crucifix.
• Symbolophobia - Fear of symbolism.
• Symmetrophobia - Fear of symmetry.
• Syngenesophobia - Fear of relatives.
• Tachophobia - Fear of speed.
• Technophobia - Fear of technology.
• Telephonophobia - Fear of telephones.
• Testaphobia - Fear of taking test.
• Textophobia - Fear of certain fabrics.
• Theophobia - Fear of gods or religion.
• Theologicophobia - Fear of theology.
• Triskaidekaphobia - Fear of the number 13.

The two U's were lame. One's a repeat and the other's about pee. o_O

• Vestiphobia - Fear of clothing.
• Vitricophobia - Fear of step-father.
• Walloonphobia - Fear of Walloons. (what on earth is a walloon?)
• Xanthophobia - Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
• Xerophobia - Fear of dryness.
• Xylophobia - Fear of wooden objects. Forests.

No Y's. How sad.

• Zelophobia - Fear of jelousy.
• Zemmiphobia - Fear of the great mole rat.

It's a long list, but it's funny as heck.

People fear the strangest things. And while phobias are irrational, they are hard to overcome. This is my short list of personal phobias (I promise it's very short).

Aichmophobia, Athazagoraphobia, Cleisiophobia, Emetophobia, Harpaxophobia, Helminthophobia, Homophobia (Fear of sameness, monotony or of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual - I can't stand having monotony in life. I have no problem with gays.), Iatrophobia, Isolophobia, Kenophobia, Maieusiophobia, Nosocomephobia, Pediculophobia, Pharmacophobia (Fear of taking medicine. I can take certain meds, but I can't swallow pills. I just can't.), Taphophobia, Tomophobia.

Okay, so it's not exactly that short. Most of those are relatively rational, and some weren't included in the funny list. But those are my phobias, and I'm not afraid to tell them to you.

Got a funny phobia? Share your stories with us! Think there's one I missed on the list? Share that, too! Comments are always welcome!

Thanks to http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/list-of-all-phobias.html for the complete list of phobias. Check it out.

Found a spelling error? Don't blame me entirely; that phobia list had a bunch of 'em, and I tried to fix the ones I caught.

And thanks to www.phobiasonline.com/Phobia_List_A-G.html, http://www.thegreenhead.com/2007/06/pop-up-book-of-phobias.php, and http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/phobies.htm for the pictures, respectively. Google Images, you must love me.