10 Most Common Phobias

These are the ten most common phobias across the world. Chances are that almost everyone you meet will have experienced at least one of these phobias.

1. Agoraphobia
This is usually expressed as a fear of open spaces, but sometimes it can also be a fear of crowded places. It can manifest itself as panic attacks.

2. Arachnophobia
This is the fear of spiders. It’s so common, they’ve even made a movie of the same name. Despite the fact that most spiders are not harmful, we seem to have a collective fear of them.

3. Acrophobia
The fear of heights. Maybe it’s standing close to the edge of a cliff, or looking out of the window of our hotel room. Fear of heights manifests in lots of ways. At it’s extreme, it may even mean that we can’t take a ride in an glass fronted elevator.

4. Claustrophobia
The opposite of agoraphobia. This is the fear of confined or enclosed spaces. This is often accompanied by a fear of being unable to escape from the situation. It can be experienced in elevators, trains or planes.

5. Aviophobia
The fear of flying. Even though flying is one of the safest forms of transport, people are often afraid of flying. It’s often a combination of several other phobias, including not being in control and a fear of having a panic attack. Read more