Fear People Phobias Strong Eslpod Common Scared Legs

People have many "phobias" (fears that cannot be explained rationally) in addition to the "acrophobia" (the fear of heights) covered in today's episode.

Many people are scared of particular animals or insects. For example, "arachnophobia" is a strong fear of "spiders" (small creatures similar to insects, but with eight legs, that make webs to catch their "prey" (other insects eaten for food)). "Ophidiophobia" is a strong fear of "snakes" (long reptiles with no legs, but with a long, pointed tongue). "Cynophobia" is a fear of dogs, "alektorophobia" is a fear of chickens, and "ornithophobia" is a fear of birds.

Other people develop phobias related to spaces. "Agoraphobia" is a strong fear of open spaces and/or "crowded" (with many people in a small space) areas. People who "suffer from" (experience negative consequences as a result of) agoraphobia are often "reluctant" (not wanting to do something) to leave their homes and almost never go to areas where people "congregate" (for many people to meet), such as "shopping malls" (shopping centers; many stores next to each other in a small area) or "festivals" (large public outdoor parties and celebrations around a single theme). "Claustrophobia" is the fear of small, "enclosed" (with walls and doors all around) spaces. People who suffer from claustrophobia usually choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Transportation is another trigger for common phobias. For example, "aerophobia" is a fear of flying, "vehophobia" is a fear of driving, and "siderodromophobia" is a fear of trains and railways.

Finally, people who are scared of fear itself suffer from "phobophobia." And even studying the long words for each of these phobias can trigger fear - people with "hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia" have a fear of long words!