25+ Uncommon Phobias You Probably Never Knew Existed

This phobia is often experienced by older adults who are having trouble adapting to using new technologies like computers, tablets, or smartphones. "It is often worsened by feelings of low self-esteem or fears about being judged harshly," says Lucia Wallis Smith, LPC, an anxiety specialist at Clear Mind Counseling LLC. in New Jersey.

"I had a client with an irrational fear of baby carrots. The sight, smell, or taste of the baby carrots was not tolerable, and when paired with ranch dressing, the combination frequently led to high anxiety and nausea," says Eric Patterson, LPC, a professional counselor in Pennsylvania.

"This is one of the lesser known phobias but can have a huge impact on people scrolling through social media feeds," says Sharon Stiles, a hypnotist in the U.K. "They may be disgusted by images like honeycomb, seed pods, or bubble wrap."

It sounds made up, but pedophobia is a real, yet abnormal, persistent fear of babies and children. "People with this unusual disorder have heightened anxiety when thinking about or being around little ones, even though they're aware it's irrational," says Peg Sadie, psychotherapist and resilience coach. "They may avoid media, situations, and locations where kids are present or even decide not to have children themselves."

People with this fear are afraid of throwing up, afraid of hearing the word vomit or throw up, and may even be afraid of people saying that they're sick, says Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Freeing Your Child from Anxiety. "They may avoid eating at restaurants because they are afraid that they will throw up and don’t want to (especially away from home!), and some women say they're afraid to get pregnant because they're scared of throwing up with morning sickness," Chansky says.

"Similar to The Runaway Bride minus the RomCom aspect, gamophobia is an unreasonable and overwhelming fear of marriage or commitment," says Sadie. Someone may actually develop romantic feelings for someone, but when they're reciprocated, those feelings can turn to anxiety and hate, Sadie adds.

"I have evaluated children and adults with an irrational fear of feet. These individuals can experience significant discomfort or even panic attacks when they see, touch, or are near any feet," says Leela R. Magavi, M.D, and adult, adolescent and child psychiatrist and RegionalMedical Director for CommunityPsychiatry in California.

You've heard of insomnia, but having a sleep phobia goes beyond that type of anxiety, and people may have panic attacks at bedtime or stay up to the point of exhaustion. "The main trigger of somniphobia, as well as something that often goes along with it, is diagnosis of a sleep disorder like night terrors, sleep paralysis, or sleepwalking," says Sadie.

Most people who fear otters have either been attacked or bitten by one, or have seen it happen to someone else.

This rare phobia can present as a fear of one's own hands or someone else's, but it's generally brought on by a traumatic experience, such as a hand injury or the onset of arthritis.

Sometimes this fear is strictly about the balloons themselves, but other times it's the fear of the balloons being popped. Believe it or not, Oprah Winfrey has this phobia.

People with genuphobia are afraid of knees — be it their own, someone else's, or the act of kneeling. This fear usually stems from a traumatic knee injury.

Unfortunately for people who are afraid of long words, the name of this phobia really doesn't help. The fear is often brought upon by being laughed at while reading or pronouncing long words — usually in school-age children.

Not wanting to bathe may stem from an accident involving water or experiencing abuse as a child that involved water or bathing.

While some kids love putting on puppet shows, others want absolutely nothing to do with them. And that goes into adulthood, too. Whether it's a hand puppet, ventriloquist's dummy, or kids' show character, this phobia can be life-altering.

Whether it's the taste or the sight of cheese, some people just can't get down with it.

People with ephebiphobia don't want to be anywhere near teens, and the media really hasn't helped. A 2002 article published in the Los Angeles Times covered the "full-blown media panic" around teens.

Terrified of being without your cell phone? There's a phobia for that. Those with nomophobia — also called cell phone addiction by the National Institute of Drug Abuse for Teens — have anxiety or panic attacks over losing their phones and obsess about checking them throughout the day.

To be clear, people who have arachibutyrophobia aren't afraid of the creamy deliciousness that is peanut butter. They're specifically afraid of it getting stuck to the roofs of their mouths.

Whether someone's fear of chickens stems from a traumatic incident or even a dream about a chicken attack, being afraid of this bird isn't a fun phobia to have.