Seafoodpunch

Phobias are a funny thing.  In college, I met someone who feared nothing more than beans.  Just looking at a picture of a pinto bean caused him to start gagging.

I thought it was all a joke at first, but after years of going to every exteme to avoid the rogue legume , I understood that this poor guy actually had a real problem. 

He isnt the only one. Here is a quote from an ‘Unusual Phobias’ web forum :

“I have been searching the internet for many years to find someone with the same fear as me, to relate to them and talk to them and eventually overcome my fear…
I still do not know what it is about beans that make me have nervous breakdowns. When I was 10, I saw a bean on the floor and I had a panic attack. This particular bean was a broad bean, and it has haunted me for many years.

Later, when I was 23, I saw a kidney bean and I collapsed to the floor. I have an irrational fear of beans for the sole reason that I think that when I am asleep they will make an army and come and kill me. Once, as a cruel joke, someone put a bean in my ear. I just lashed out at them and broke their arm…

I am now 63 and working as a teacher in the UK. My pupils have found out about my fear and they make my life hell.
I would really like to overcome my fear.
Even talking about beans makes my skin crawl, I am feeling scared even now.”

It wasn’t just plain beans that caused my friend to get break out in cold sweats. His eyes would start bulging at the sight of anything bean shaped and when we narrowly escaped having an order of black beans placed in front of us instead of refried ones, I thought we would have to buy a change of underwear. It was more the shape than anything. Refried beans were not a problem, obviously.

Jelly beans had to be kept out of reach and cashews were always a problem in mixed nuts.  While on a cherry picking excursion , he touched one of the small fruits and had to lie down because holding something so bean-like was too much for him to handle. It was honestly ridiculous, and I feel bad now, but I was so fascinated by his fear that I couldnt help but place a lonely bean next to him when he least expected it. The reaction was priceless, but at least he didn’t attack and break my arm.

Eventually I learned to respect his fear, and even though I don’t understand it, it really is worse for him, because he didn’t understand it either.

There are countless things that we should genuinely fear: Running with scissors, getting mugged, not making it to the bathroom on time during a first date, tangling with a rabid dog. Yet some unfortunate people struggle with paranoias that are just illogical and downright embarassing.

Ablutophobia-the fear of washing yourself-is definitely not going to win any friends over. Xanthophobia-the fear of the color yellow-puts limitations on everything. Rhypophobia- the fear of defecation-can cause some major indigestion. Epistemophobia-the fear of knowledge-is a great excuse if you are an idiot and can’t carry a conversation.  Octophobia-the fear of the number 8-doesn’t help calculate the bills. This could go on forever, since there are extensive lists of phobias that could fill an encyclopedia.

Chances are that for everything that exists, there is at least one person out there who can’t sleep at night because of it (speaking of which; omniphobia is the fear of sleeping).

Here are a few of my favorites (and may provide fodder for articles in the future). 

Zemmiphobia- Fear of the great mole rat

Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth

Aulophobia- Fear of flutes

Automatonophobia- Fear of ventriloquist’s dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues – anything that falsly represents a sentient being

Botanophobia- Fear of plants

Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting

Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks

Euphobia- Fear of hearing good news

Eurotophobia- Fear of female genitalia

Geniophobia- Fear of chins

Novercaphobia- Fear of your step-mother

Peladophobia- Fear of bald people

Sesquipedalophobia- Fear of long words (whoever coined the term for this phobia, is a sick, sick man.

Check out the Phobia List if you are enthralled with the topic.