11 Phobias That May Seem Silly But Are Actually Valid

1.      Chiroptophobia – fear of bats
These creatures can fly and bite and some species are known to be sanguivorous. They fly so fast that you cannot determine whether or not they are the bats that would enjoy a feast of your blood, so it’s better to stay afraid of them. Also, they could be rabid; they’d bite you before you would realize what’s happening and Voila! You end up with hydrophobia or at the very least multiple injection stabbings.

2.      Enochlophobia – fear of crowds
So many people around. You never know what kind might be standing behind you. There may be people who would cop a feel and you wouldn’t know who the culprit was, or there may be women with so much sequins and/or jewelry that some of it is sure to scratch or bruise you. Not to mention the very real possibility of a stampede following the slightest safety related rumor.

3.      Hoplophobia – fear of firearms
Hardly needs to be explained. With all the people out there wielding licensed and non-licensed firearms, you never know who would have his psychopathic instincts kick in and destroy everything around. Oh, and the best of all, kids having pistols and firing them recklessly at school. If you ain’t scared of ‘em yet, your survival skills need to be checked.

4.      Nomophobia –fear of cell phone network loss
Other than the fact that no network more than often implies no Wi-Fi, which in turn renders your

smartphone no more useful than an ordinary Nokia 3300, there may be much more serious manifestations to it. What if a kidnapper is following you or you’ve run out of gas and are completely stranded, because let’s be frank, no handsome and chivalrous guy would just happen to pass by and give you a lift to wherever. Chances are, if the man stops, he would be looking for benefits you might not be willing to offer. A WiFi may turn out to be a lifesaver in such circumstances.

5.      Nosophobia – fear of diseases. 
Ever heard of Ebola? Death by multiple hemorrhages throughout the body. What about AIDS? Weakens your immunity so much that even the ordinary cold turns into a lethal pulmonary disease and eventually kills you, with a lot of pain. How about the tropical Malaria or Sleeping Sickness? All of these diseases kill you after rendering you in a pitiful state and making your family members suffer almost as much as you, at least emotionally. And trust me; if you are in the medical profession, being exposed to various viral strains makes sure the fear multiplies

6.      Thermophobia – fear of heat. 
I am not talking about the nice Californian heat that would help you tan and make you realize the beneficial effects of the sun. I am talking about the tropical Asian summers that start from April and torment you till late September, with so much humidity that you lose no less than 5-6 liters of fluids per day. I would much rather spend forever in the ice castle of Elsa than face the excruciating tropical summers.

7.      Tokophobia – fear of child-birth.
 I wasn’t afraid of this until very recently when I saw Rachel’s delivery in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and the Reverend’s words in License to Wed.

The fear became concrete after my mother told me, and I’m sorry to gross you out, that after delivery a woman keeps bleeding continuously for about a month or so with all sorts of lumps and things coming out of the vagina. EW and Ouch! 

Mathematically, Post Child Birth Bleeding = Normal Menstrual Period X 10. Nope, not gonna happen.

8.      Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes. 
I have never 

seen  snakes but read a lot about them and know that a cobra or pit viper has got neurotoxin in its venom which can kill a healthy individual in less than 10 seconds or at least cause severe disfiguration of the limbs. Added to the fact is, a newborn starts crying really bad upon seeing a snake even though it does not understand it, the fear of snakes is hardwired in our genes.

9.      Seismophobia – fear of earthquakes. 
There’s a reason why the worst things in life are compared to ‘the ground being pulled from under you’. What are you supposed to do if the very land underneath you shakes and gives away, refusing to support you? You panic, that’s what. And panic gives rise to fear. And the fear of earthquakes is something which there is no way to cope with.

10.  Volcanophobia – fear of volcanic eruptions.
molten lava moving as a river and reducing everything to ashes, slowly but steadily. Now, imagine a volcano erupting when the whole town lies asleep. Although now, there are ways to predict it, I just can’t help but imagine what it must have been like for the people who died in the early times, just reduced to nothing without a prior warning.

11.  Radiophobia – fera of ionizing radiations, especially X-rays.
Ever seen X men? Or heard of ‘em? Yeah they are mutants. However, no matter how much we may want it, mutations do not work that way. They do not give you amazing abilities that can make you super-powerful. On the contrary, they alter your DNA in a way that disrupts your metabolism causing adverse effects almost always, cancers being the most common. So, I try to keep my distance from too many X rays or UV.

 What are the fears you have faced or still face? Tell us via comments.