Weird Phobias

I don’t know why, but I think that cows are out to kill me. 

For as long as we know, humans have had natural instincts in order to survive.  These instincts can trigger fear to protect us from harmful situations. But sometimes our instincts can malfunction. 

We have evolved in to fearful beings with complex and strange phobias that can impact our daily lives. Phobias are much more than just a fear – they are often irrational and intense in nature. 

And almost anything can be the subject of a phobia. Dementophobia is a fear of insanity. Levophobics fear objects positioned to their left. There is even a phobia of gravity – Barophobia. 

Perhaps the most recognizable phobia is social anxiety. An estimated 10% of the UK population has social phobia, with women twice as likely to be diagnosed. The NHS define social anxiety as ‘an intense fear that doesn’t go away and affects everyday activities, self-confidence, relationships and work or school life.’  

There have been hundreds of studies over the years to investigate the cause of phobias and whether there is a pattern for why they arise. Studies have shown that fearful ideas originate from a childhood experience that conditions the brain to be scared of certain things. 

Social anxiety in particular can originate from humiliating or distressing experiences in social situations. These experiences can stay with a person for the rest of their lives and lead them to fear socialisation.  

However, a study by psychology and behavioural science graduates called ‘The Etiology of Phobias’, revealed that there is ‘growing evidence that fear of many stimuli can originate without aversive conditioning.’ 

Therefore, not all phobias are the direct result of a previous experience or trauma. Many people fear things that they have never been traumatised by. 

The most common form of phobia is called specific phobia, where we fear things like animals, flying, being stuck in confined spaces and heights. These specific phobias affect up to 20% of the population at some point in their lives.  

One of those affected by specific phobia is Olivia Hughes, an 18 year old girl with a grave fear of whales.  

‘The sheer size of them - they’re huge!’ she exclaimed. ‘I just imagine seeing one in the distance and it’s terrifying. I can’t imagine anything scarier.’   

Olivia explains how she believes it began. ‘I think it actually stems from the Disney film, Pinocchio.’ she said, referring to the classic scene in which a giant animated whale is hunting for its next meal.  

A study by members of the Department of Experimental Abnormal Psychology called ‘The Etiology of Specific Phobias’ explains that ‘In small animal phobias, but also blood-injection-injury phobia, the predominant pathways to fear are modelling and negative information transmission.’ This indicates that existing phobias can be formed from the negative portrayal of the thing in the media or other sources, creating an associated fear.  

‘I was always terrified of the whale in that film and since then it’s just got worse,’ added Olivia. ‘Especially after watching documentaries and other things on whales. It doesn’t help when I’m just scared of the sea in general.’  

Olivia highlights how fears can become intertwined to create greater phobias, such as being scared of the sea and therefore the creatures within it.  

‘I don’t think I could [overcome the fear], the thought of them makes me feel sick so I’m not sure I’d be able to face it.’ she explained, seemingly quite happy to avoid the world’s biggest mammal for the rest of her life.  

Whereas Olivia fears a giant cetacean, Rory Grattan was once terrified of something much smaller – his own socks. The now 19 year old was petrified of the soft cotton footwear until the age of eight.  

 ‘I didn’t like the feel of the material so I felt trapped – I hated it,’ Rory explained.  ‘The sound of putting them on, everything, just disgusting.’  

‘I would kick and scream and cry. My mum and dad would have to blackmail me in to putting them on by saying they’d take away my PlayStation’ he added.  

These childhood incentives were enough to help Rory overcome his phobia, but not all phobias are so easily forgotten.  

I can testify to the feeling of being so terrified of something that your blood runs cold and you cannot escape the feeling that you are in serious trouble.  

Like Olivia, my specific phobia is that of a large mammal which many would view as harmless – the cow. These soft, gentle creatures that many adore make me want to run away screaming.  

There has been no dramatic incident with a cow and no negative association as a child, just a gradual build-up of intense fear towards the grass grazing gorgons.  

My fear runs so deep that I cannot watch a cow on TV or even view them from afar whilst on a cross-country train. My last experience with a cow was walking through a rural field, where I had to close my eyes and be guided by a group of friends to avoid eye contact with the bovine beasts. 

Many phobics suffer in silence for fear of feeling silly or being judged. Yet, treatment of phobias has improved significantly in the 21st century as knowledge around the psychology has increased. There are now many forms of therapy for phobia that can help sufferers to remove the fear or cope with it more effectively.  

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other talking therapies are some of the most common forms of treatment for phobia. In extreme cases medication can be used in conjunction with other therapies. If a person is struggling with a phobia then they should seek medical advice from their GP or other health care professional. 

Hannah Gowen