The Top 10 Weirdest Phobias in the World

Phobias may be a debilitating thing. Imagine not being able to climb up anything because you are scared of heights and you have acrophobia, or not being able to ride an elevator because you are scared of being closed in and you have claustrophobia, or shrieking and even fainting at the first sign of a spider and you have arachnophobia. Still, these phobias are actually easy to imagine and understand.

Some phobias, on the other hand, are just plain weird and crazy that they boggle the mind of the non-sufferers. Here is a list of the top 10 weirdest phobias in the world.

10. Telephonophobia – Fear of Making or Taking Phone Calls

Having dead air during a phone conversation is pretty normal. This is when an awkward silence occurs, as you simply have nothing to say. Some people are so scared of this scenario that they have developed telephonophobia. These people simply do not pick up the phone by getting others to answer a call or using an answering machine exclusively. As a result, necessary information may not get clarified properly. Via: therichest.org

9. Nomophobia – Fear of Not Having Mobile Phone Access

Related, but probably opposite, to number 10 is nomophobia. This may be a common fear, if you really think about it. Nonetheless, it is still weird. This phobia involves the mobile phone, and it is the fear of losing it, not having enough battery charge, not having network coverage or running out of credits. People just feel naked without their mobile phones. Via: therichest.org

8. Phobophobia – Fear of Having a Phobia

Ok, let us try to get this straight. Phobia means having a fear, while phobophobia is the fear of having a fear. This is obviously psychological more than anything else as there are no environmental stimuli that would set off this fear. It is like the sufferer does not want to get scared but in so doing, he has worked himself up that he is now scared that he might get scared. You will probably develop stress just thinking about how to explain this phobia. Via: therichest.org

7. Anthophobia – Fear of Flowers

Sufferers know that flowers actually do not pose any threat at all, but for some reason, they have developed an anxiety at the mere sight of even one. Guys probably hope this that fear is contagious and would afflict their girlfriend. It sure will help them save a lot of money that can be better spent on other things. Via: therichest.org

6. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – Fear of the Number 666

Most people probably are not even aware of this phobia. But aside from the number 13, the number 666 is also a number that is associated with bad luck and negativity. And it is not just the simple kind of bad luck because the number is actually associated with the devil. The number’s infamy has its roots in the Bible when the book of Revelation associated the number with the devil. It is supposed to be the number of the beast who would become the anti Christ. Of course, Hollywood perpetuated the fear through movies like “The Omen.” You should actually be more scared that you need to spell this unruly word just to describe the fear. Via: therichest.org

5. Heliophobia – Fear of Sunlight

Just like the Cullens in those “Twilight” movies, there are people who are afraid of the sunlight. Maybe those warnings about skin cancer have gotten into them or maybe they are just creatures of the dark who prefer to do things in the night. Perhaps, they just find it easier to function in the evening when everything is more peaceful and quiet. Sufferers however have this irrational fear of the sunlight so much so that they would place thick curtains or even stay in the basement to keep the house as dark as possible. Via: therichest.org

4. Chorophobia – Fear of Dancing

Just like nomophobia, chorophobia can actually be very common. Guys especially hate being forced to dance where everyone can see how uncoordinated they could be. Still, reluctance to dance brought about by shyness is different from an actual fear of dancing. Some would feel anxiety and even nausea just at the thought of having to dance. Via: therichest.org

3. Ablutophobia – Fear of Bathing

This is different from hydrophobia, which is the fear of water. Ablutophobia involves the fear of bathing because the person does not want to be cleaned. Just like other phobias, there is a catalyst from a past event in one’s life that triggers this fear. Sufferers experience breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, palpitations, shaking, nausea and dry mouth whenever the subject of bathing comes up. Via: therichest.org

2. Spectrophobia – Fear of Mirrors or One’s Own Reflection

Imagine being scared of standing in front of a mirror or looking at your own reflection. It means avoiding all kinds of reflecting things, like shiny cars, puddle of water, swimming pools, sunglasses of other people, and even the monitor of your computer or laptop. This fear is related to one’s inability to accept imperfections in the face or body, like moles or birthmarks. These marks may have been the results of some unfortunate events in the past that one just wishes to forget. Via: therichest.org

1. Genophobia – Fear of Sexual Relations

It is hard to imagine anyone not wanting to have sex. It is probably at the top of the human experience, the one event that can trigger images of heaven and paradise. Nothing beats sex. Still, as weird as it may seem, there are people who are actually afraid of intimacy and sexual relations, much more sexual intercourse. This fear is no laughing matter because genophobia is rooted to a trauma that was inflicted upon the victim in the past. This traumatic event has led the sufferer to associate sex with negative emotions. Victims of molestation are some of the people who may suffer from this phobia. They are ashamed of their problem and fear, which leads to loneliness. They need to redevelop their trust and faith in other people to overcome this phobia. Via: therichest.org

The Top 10 Weirdest Phobias in the World

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DMC DELOREAN NEW YORK CITY TAXI CAB

Thanks to its iconic role in the Back to the Future film trilogy, the DMC DeLorean has become much more than just an automobile, it has become a symbol of pop culture over the past few decades.

Here we see the classic DMC DeLorean taking on a new day job as bright yellow and black New York City taxi cab. The taxi was created by designer Mike Lubrano of Nooka advertisement for a New York fashion brand. The concept behind the project was for the vehicle to “symbolize the future,” and help to communicate the brand’s own “futuristic philosophy.” [Via]

DMC DELOREAN NEW YORK CITY TAXI CAB

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Man vs. Girls

Lady: Do you smoke?

Man: Yes

Lady: How many packs a day?

Man: 3 packs

Lady: How much per pack

Man: £10.00

Lady: And how long have you been smoking?

Man: 15 years

Lady: So 1 pack cost £10.00 and you have 3 packs a day which puts your spending each month at £900. In one year, it would be

£10,800 correct?

Man: Correct

Lady: If in 1 year you spend £10,800 not accounting for inflation, the past 15 years puts your spending at £162,000 correct?

Man: Correct

Lady: Do you know that if you hadn’t smoked, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after

accounting for compound interest for the past 15 years, you could have now bought a Ferrari?

Man: Do you smoke?

Lady: No

Man: Where’s your f.cking Ferrari then?

Man vs. Girls

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5 Inventions of the 20th Century

There can be no doubt that the twentieth century is one of the most remarkable in human history for its previously unparalleled rate of technological advances and scientific discoveries, a rate that continues to this day. In fact, there were so many new gadgets invented and discoveries made in the last century that it’s difficult to pare the list down to just the ten (which is why there will be a number of glaring omissions from my list). However, I think I have managed to whittle it down to those ten innovations or technologies that have had the greatest influence on humanity—both positively and the negatively. And so, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my nominees for the ten greatest inventions/discoveries of the twentieth century:

#5. The Submarine

Though submersible vessels had been used in the past (the CSS Hunley during the Civil War) and the first true submarine was invented in the 1880’s, it wasn’t until the twentieth century that the modern submarine came into its own. What started as an irritating, but still deadly, weapon in World War One grew into a monstrosity in World War Two- sinking more than any other type of weapon used. Today, with the advent of nuclear power—which gave the submarine nearly unlimited range and endurance—it has become the capital warship in every first-class Navy in the world and as such has effectively rendered naval warfare of the past obsolete. How effective is the modern submarine? Ask anyone who has ever served on one. They’ll tell you there’s only two types of ships in the world: submarines and targets. ‘Nuff said. Source: Toptenz.net

#4. Antibiotics

Until Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, almost any little bug that someone picked up was potentially fatal. Once penicillin—and later a whole range of other antibiotics—came on the scene, however, death due to bacterial infection became rare, resulting in a greatly reduced mortality rate and much longer life-span. It also rendered many scourges of the past—from small pox and typhoid to gonorrhea and syphilis—obsolete or, at least in the case of venereal disease, something easily treatable. Source: Toptenz.net

#3. Television

Yes, I know it destroys brain cells and renders people emotionally and psychologically damaged, but really, where would we be without the boob tube? It is society’s baby-sitter, news source, teacher, entertainer, and story-teller. When in competent hands, television can even be useful at times. Mostly, though, it fills our days with vapidity and all manner of inane and obnoxious commercials, and is the single greatest reason that families no longer eat in the kitchen or dining room anymore, but instead huddle in the living room around their television eating microwavable food and spilling soft drinks on the sofa. Still, even while we pretend we hate it, we can’t help but seeing what’s on tonight. Worse, most of us would have no idea what to do with our time without it, which is probably the saddest commentary of all. Source: Toptenz.net

#2. The Internet

The computer rendered the typewriter obsolete and made writing in long-hand a thing of the past, but it took the internet to truly turn the computer into the monster it is today. While the airplane shrank our planet to the point that one could fly from New York to London in six hours, the internet made it possible to be there in a few seconds. It allows truth to make it into and out of repressive countries, it foments revolutions, and spreads lies at the speed of light. It also gives anyone the ability to buy and sell almost anything imaginable, find and torment old school mates, watch the latest you-tube videos, and even find their perfect life partner, all for a few bucks a month. Oh, and you can also get useful information off it if you don’t mind scrolling through 15,000 hits to find out just how long snails really live. Where would we be without it? Source: Toptenz.net

#1. Radio

Few people today can appreciate the impact the advent of radio had on the twentieth century. Not only did it suddenly make it possible for a person to be heard from hundreds or even thousands of miles away without the use of a wire (quite an accomplishment in the first years of the century) but it was the center of family life through the end of the Second World War and into the doldrums of the fifties, when it was gradually replaced by that new-fangled contraption, the television. Today, it seems to only be useful in the car as a means of keeping the driver from falling asleep behind the wheel or as a tool of talk radio designed to rile the masses. In its day, however, it was every bit as vital to existence as the television, the computer, the microwave, and the cell phone are to us today.

Jeff Danelek is a Denver, Colorado author who writes on many subjects having to do with history, politics, the paranormal, spirituality and religion. To see more of his stuff, visit his website at www.ourcuriousworld.com.

Source: Toptenz.net

5 Inventions of the 20th Century

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