Even in the land of the brave, everyone’s afraid of something. Whether it’s spiders, heights, or the big sleep, a new survey has revealed what gives Americans in each state the heebie-jeebies. In 17 states, including New York, Florida, Texas, Nevada, and California, the Grim Reaper is the biggest fear, according to the gambling website Casino.ca, which surveyed 3,000 … Read more
This brave restaurant server isn’t dipping out on work. An unlucky waitress has revealed her rather inconvenient phobia for someone in the food service industry: a fear of tomato-based sauces. Alexandriah Govan, 23, explained how the “fear of ketchup” has impacted her work, sharing a TikTok video of her gagging and cringing as she refills … Read more
They help calm the fight or flight response. Are you afraid of flying friendly skies? Not to fear. A self-proclaimed “former fearful flyer” and an airplane captain have released flashcards that will help prevent air travel from turning into a nightmare at 30,000 feet. “The cards will just walk you through things,” Utah’s Brian Morris, the … Read more
Hello, is it anxiety you’re looking for? Generation Z is known for speaking their minds — but if it requires a phone call, they’ll probably ignore it. New York political strategist Max Burns declared that zoomers use the “Do Not Disturb” (DND) feature to avoid anxiety when receiving a call. “TIL that some Gen Z … Read more
You can have a canine on your lap while your dentist cleans your canines. A dental office in downtown Minneapolis offers a unique service for their patients — an emotional support dog. April Kline, a hygienist at J&D Dental, started bringing her 4-year-old English goldendoodle to work last year when she realized he might help … Read more
A woman in the UK has had her life turned upside down by an irrational fear of stickers — so severe that she’s banned them from her house. “It’s the nasty, sticky stuff that you get on the back that makes me feel ill,” Anna Smith Higgs, 44, told Caters News Agency while describing her … Read more
People need food to live — but one man is afraid if he eats, he’ll die. John Junior, 34, from Manchester, England, is terrified of eating food with his hands, so he always carries three pairs of metal tongs with him. He uses the tongs to eat everything, including soup. His phobia is a form … Read more
A mother’s “worst nightmare” was realized this week when she found a massive python curled up in her baby’s bed. Allirra Lovelock made the horrifying discovery on Monday afternoon, spotting the enormous reptile slithering inside her infant daughter’s cot at their Bodalla home on the state’s south coast. “Is anyone good with snakes?” she posted … Read more
A grandfather received a scare when he opened a bag of broccoli — and found a live snake tucked inside it. Neville Linton, 63, said discovering the young ladder snake, which is capable of a nasty bite, was a “frightening” experience, as SWNS, the British news service, reported of the incident. He said he bought the broccoli from an … Read more
King Charles III apparently has some food-related quirks – and they’re coming to light ahead of this weekend’s coronation ceremony. In a recently resurfaced tidbit from Tom Bower’s 2018 book about then-Prince Charles, titled “Rebel Prince,” the author wrote that the monarch didn’t know what cling wrap was, and he allegedly was quite taken aback … Read more
Pat Sajak would like to buy an apology. The “Wheel of Fortune” host teased a contestant about her ichthyophobia, or fear of fish, on the show last week — but later apologized for picking on her. The 76-year-old host was bursting with questions after the contestant named Ashley Laumb revealed her phobia. “You don’t like … Read more
Just call him SpongeBob ScarePants. Panic-stricken TikTokers are tracing their fear of butterflies to a crucial episode of the cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999. Social media is abuzz about the so-called “butterfly effect” thanks to a series of TikTok posts in which users are describing “why I’m scared of butterflies.” The … Read more
An Australian radio show descended into chaos during a segment about arachnophobia on Wednesday, when one of the hosts had a panic attack and passed out while touching a tarantula. In the viral clip, presenter Erin Molan, 40, can be seen breathing very fast and letting out several nervous moans as the moment of the … Read more
We are all driven by our fears and desires, and sometimes we are in thrall to them. The American physician Benjamin Rush kicked off the craze for naming such fixations in 1786. Until then, the word “phobia” (which is derived from Phobos, the Greek god of panic and terror) had been applied only to symptoms … Read more