Weird and Funny Phobias

“Never trust your fears – they don’t know your strength.” – Athena Singh

Does standing on the fi h-floor balcony give you weak knees? Is the
mere men(on of spiders enough to make you scream? Don’t worry,
you are not alone; we all have our fears.
The word “phobia” comes from Greek and translates as “fear.” A
phobia is an irra(onal fear of an object, situa(on or living thing. While
fear is a natural response to danger, phobias o en occur in response to
something unlikely to cause real harm. In some cases, a person with a phobia will meet the
diagnos(c criteria for a specific phobia, which is a type of anxiety disorder. Someone with a specific
phobia will experience intense fear and anxiety when confronted with the source of the phobia,
which could include blood, heights or specific animals like dogs.
Phobias are characterized by significant distress and o en cause a person to avoid the source of
their fear or suffer from extreme anxiety when faced with it. Someone experiencing a phobia that is
interfering with everyday life should consider undergoing treatment for their phobia, as outcomes
for professional care are typically favorable.

What Are the Weirdest and Most Rare Phobias?

1. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut bu6er s(cking to the roof of your mouth)
While the phenomenon has happened to everyone at one point or another, people with
arachibutyrophobia are extremely afraid of it.
2. Plutophobia (Fear of money)
People with plutophobia may fear wealthy people or fear becoming wealthy themselves. They
generally dread money and having to deal with it.
3. Xanthophobia (Fear of the color yellow)
People with this rare phobia are usually also afraid of any object that is yellow, such as school buses
and flowers.
4. Optophobia (Fear of opening one’s eyes)
This fear can be extremely debilita(ng, as it is hard for an individual to carry out daily ac(vi(es
without opening their eyes. People with optophobia may prefer to stay indoors or in dimly lit areas.

Pre-reading ques ons

1. Do you know what a phobia is?
2. Do you have a phobia? Do you know anyone who has a phobia?
3. What ridiculous and weird phobias do you know about?

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Post-reading ques ons: Vocabulary
A) Match the meanings on the right with their defini(ons on the le .

1. Dim ____ A) an extraordinary and significant event or occurrence.

2. Irra(onal ____ B) not expected to happen.
3. Phenomenon ____ C) unreasonable and illogical.
4. Unlikely ____ D) try to stop something from happening.
5. Diagnos(c ____ E) causing serious impairment of ability to func(on.
6. Debilita(ng ____ F) used in diagnosis.
7. Interfere ____ G) to face or deal with a difficult situa(on.
8. Confront ____ H) not bright.

B) Complete the following sentences using the above words.

1. He stood wai(ng, in a ______ light.

2. Tsunamis are a common ______________ mostly happening in the Pacific Ocean.
3. She has an ____________ fear of spiders.
4. They need to __________ their bullies sooner or later.
5. It’s very __________ to rain today.
6. Humans mustn’t __________ with nature cycles and processes.
7. These pa(ents are wai(ng for a ______________ evalua(on.
8. Parkinson's disease is a _______________ and incurable disease.

C) Choose any three of the above words to form your own sentences.

1. ________________________________________________________________

___

2. ________________________________________________________________

___

3. ________________________________________________________________

___

Comprehension

D) Answer the following ques(ons according to the text.

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 1. What is a phobia?
2. What are some examples of weird and unusual phobias?
3. What are the features or characteris(cs of phobias?
4. What should someone suffering from a phobia do?

E) Correct the following statements.

1. The word “phobia” comes from La(n language. _____________

2. Fear is an unnatural response to danger. ____________
3. Phobia is a type of post-stress disorder. ____________
4. Outcomes for professional care are typically unreliable. _____________
5. Source of phobias include blood, heights, and specific animals like bunnies. _______

F) Match the defini(on with the correct type of phobia.

1. The fear of the color yellow.

2. Fear of peanut bu6er s(cking to the roof of your mouth.
3. Fear of opening one’s eyes.
4. Fear of money.

Arachibutyrophobia Optophobia Plutophobia Xanthophobia

Grammar
G) Choose the correct answer.
1. Is the _______ men(on of spiders enough to make you scream?
A) sheer B) mere C) brief

2. Phobias o en occur in response to something unlikely to _____ real harm.

A) cause B) induce C) produce

3. A person with a phobia will meet the diagnos(c ______ for a specific phobia.
A) criterion B) standard C) criteria

4. It is hard for an individual to __________ daily ac(vi(es without opening their eyes.
A) carry out B) perform C) par(cipate in

5. Phobias o en cause a person to avoid the ________ of their fear or suffer from extreme
anxiety when faced with it.

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 A) source B) origin C) cause

Speaking
H) Discuss the following ques(ons.

1. Are you afraid of anything like heights, blood, or lions? (It doesn’t have to be a phobia!
Just normal fear.)
2. How can someone overcome a phobia in your opinion (other than going to a
psychologist of course)?
3. How do phobias even develop? Does someone wake up and suddenly they decide
they’re afraid of needles for example? What happens for them to develop it?
4. What’s the difference between anxiety and phobia?
5. Do you know what islamophobia and xenophobia are?

I) Invent a new phobia. It doesn’t have to be original or never heard-of-before. Just be

crea(ve, that’s all! Let’s google it and find its scien(fic name!

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