Fear of bridges-Gephyrophobia

While there seems to be a fear for just about everything, there are some fears that can directly be linked with the fear of falling. Gephyrophobia also known as the far of bridges can turn a drive to work into a nightmare for people who suffer from this phobia.

In area such as New York, this phobia makes it hard for some people to live their daily lives, containing more than 2,000 different bridges in the state. Manhattan alone has 19.

Like most fears the fear of bridges can be traced to watching movies. One of the most famous is the 1979 Cassandra’s Crossing.

Their fear may result partly from the fear of enclosure (claustrophobia) or the fear of heights (acrophobia). Phobic drivers may worry about being in an accident in busy traffic or losing control of their vehicles. High bridges over waterways and gorges can be especially intimidating, as can be very long or very narrow bridges.

The fear of bridges is perhaps one of the only phobias that cities actually devote tax money to, for example in San Francisco/ Oakland, authorities will actually dispatch a tow truck to take drivers to the other side.

For some the worst part is knowing that they have to cross everyday, but in the same respect some who have this fear have learned to ignore it because of having to drive across them on a daily basis. ” Ever since I moved up to San Francisco, I kinda got use to it, if you want to get across the bay, you really don’t have much of a choice sais, Jenna Davi, a theatre major at San Francisco State University.

Fear of long words-hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

The fear of long words ironically enough is referred to as hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.</a> Wow, try and say that three times really fast. For most people, writers included, long words are at times, helpful and tend to give the writer more of a grasp on the english language.

However for some hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is something that they tend to shy away from reading, writing, and definitely using.

According to Jan Heering, who is a phobia specialist this is a real phobia and much like the fear of spiders or heights, many of the same feelings or symptoms come along with this phobia.

For some it may be that in their past they may have seen someone finding it immensely difficult to spell or pronounce a long word. Some picked up the fear and began worrying about long and complicated words.

Heering goes on to say,”You simply start attaching negative emotions to the thought of uttering a long and complicated word.”

You start thinking, “Oh my God, the word is so big to pronounce and the spelling of the word is too difficult. How can I utter the word correctly? I will definitely stammer and make a fool of myself. What will others say? They will think I am so stupid.”

It seems as though the phobia can easily be linked with the fear of embarrassment. While the longest word in the english language is under debate it is said that the longest is 189,819 words long and in a type a protein.

Fear of dogs-Cynophobia

The fear of dogs, commonly known as Cynophobia a word derived from the Greek “kyon” (dog) and “phobos”(fear), can turn into disruptive behavior or fear for most people. While it is typically common in children, Cynophobia can spread across someones lifetime and haunt them for years.. This fear like most, is usually derived from some kind of traumatic situation, from ones childhood, either being attacked by a dog or barked at by a dog.

With 42.5 Million households in the U.S, having dogs, it is easy how one would be deterred from going outside or taking a walk to the park.

According to an article written on Wikihow.com there are several steps one can take to help releave the stresses of Cynophobia.

1. Evaluate the situation. Why are you afraid of dogs? What happened? Think it over in your mind.

2. Remember: Dogs aren’t out to get you. They are man’s best friend. Say this to yourself at least five times a day, EVERY day. Once you start saying it, you will start believing it.

3. Make a goal list. Write steps down such as “pet a puppy,” “hold a puppy,” and “walk a puppy”. Right now though, you have a while to go, until you reach these goals.

For most dogs are mans best friend but when researching the facts of how many people get attacked by a dog each year, it is almost stunning. It is estimated that two percent of the US population, 4.7 million people, are bitten each year.In the 1980s and 1990s the US averaged 17 fatalities per year, while in the 2000s this has increased to 26. 77 percent of dog bites are from the pet of family or friends, and 50 percent of attacks occur on the dog owner’s property.

So what does this mean for students? Well if you walk to school one should be aware of its surroundings. If one is to be attacked by a dog it is advised to not turn and flee, instead stand your ground and avoid eye contact is possible.

The fear of flowers-Anthophobia

Its Valentines Day and most people are afraid of either not having someone to buy flowers for, or not selecting the right kind of flowers. However, some people have other concerns, the fear of the flowers themself, also known as Anthophobia, a word derived from the Greek “anthos” (flower) and “phobos” (fear).

While for some the fear of flowers can be overpowering, for most, especially around Valentines Day they love and appreciate flowers. For some the love of plants and flowers even propel them into a career. 97 different Colleges in California offer degrees in Botany, the study of plants.

“My mom is a florist, she has been working with flowers ever since I can remember, its funny to me that people would actually be afraid of them,” said Cerritos College student Orlando Dominguez.

According to the theflowerexpert.com, People suffering from flower fear experience undue anxiety even though they realize they face no threat from flowers. There is no specific flower which causes this fear, any genus or species of flowers can instill fear. So can any flower part, such as a petal or stem.

While there are many different symptoms someone can suffer from, some of the common ones include, breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, and even the fear of dying.

For the people who suffer from this phobia, bad news is the flower community is here to stay. On valentines Day alone more then 110 million roses will be sold. It seems for some Halloween has come early.

Fear of failing- Atychiphobia

The fear of failing, also known as Atychiphobia, is a fear that is omnipresent at colleges across the world. While many students are presented with new material, quizzes and test in an almost daily basis, the opportunity to fail is more apparent than in a person or situation where the challenges and trials tend to be less present.

Students like Cerritos College student Kelli Lawson, believe that it is healthy to have a fear of failure. “People are afraid of what they don’t know, its natural. I think in order to keep ourselves sane we need to be reminded that we don’t know everything,” she said.

While students like Lawson believe it is a healthy fear, some people have seen their lives diminish because of the fear. Putting themselves in situations that prevent them from failing but in reality, isolating themselves from the world.

According to way2hope.org Sometimes, there are a couple different reasons why someone gets this phobia. “We’re so concerned about failing that we don’t try an activity we want to try. Other times our fear of failure is so strong we subconsciously undermine our own efforts so we don’t have to continue to try.”

The next time that big test come around and you are cramming last minute, ask yourself, is it you just trying to be diligent, or is it Atychiphobia?

Fear of Snakes-Ophidiophobia

The fear of snakes, also known as Ophidophobia has been around for ages, while most of the fear is warranted, some of the fear is purely mythical and comes as a result of hollywood movie magic.

In the 1981 Movie Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark, the fear of snakes is shared by Indy. His famous quote, “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes,” while almost comical in reference, it also has it serious side.

In a 2009 study,psychologists found that both adults and children could detect images of snakes among a variety of non-threatening objects, quicker than they could pinpoint frogs, flowers or caterpillars.

Many researchers link this to evolution and the human’s natural survival instincts. Being able to detect danger in the wild would undoubtedly be a crucial trait to surviving before the industrial age.

So perhaps this fear is warranted and is not completely comical or unwarranted, after all more than 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year.

Most of the bum raps snakes get come from the poisonous cousins, like the Black Mamba, which can kill a full grown man in less than a half hour. More than having a potent bit the Black Mamba is also the world’s fastest snake, reaching speeds of up to 14 m.p.h. indigenous to Africa, the only “black mamba” they are use to is Kobe Bryant, and many are happy about that.

“I hate snakes, I’ve heard about the Black Mamba, cause of Kobe Bryant, but I’m glad I don’t live in an area that has them,” said German Lopez, a Cerritos College student.