Be it spiders, butterflies, heights, closed rooms, we’re all scared cats in one way or the other! We all have some or the other fear that gives us goosebumps or chills down the spine. A phobia is an irrational fear that could be of an object, a situation or even a living thing. But what's the difference between an ordinary fear and a phobia? While fear is a natural response to danger, phobias often occur in response to something unlikely to cause real harm.

While most people have common phobias like fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of spiders (arachnophobia); there are still many strange, bizarre phobias that you may have never heard of and it's time to learn more about them.

1. Nomophobia (Fear of Being Without Your Mobile Phone)

Fear of losing your cell phone is a real phobia! Not kidding. People with nomophobia experience excessive anxiety about not having their phone with them, their battery being low or their phone being out of service. Regardless of the circumstances, people having nomophobia get panicked and experience extreme symptoms of anxiety. In recent surveys of varying populations, the prevalence of anxiety related to not having or being able to use a cell phone ranged from 9–77%. What Is Claustrophobia? Know Triggers, Symptoms and Causes of the Irrational Fear of Confined Spaces.

2. Arithmophobia (Fear of Numbers)

Well, this phobia deals with numbers. Many of us have grown up dreading maths class as an act of getting away to deal with numbers, but people with arithmophobia have a genuine fear of numbers. People with this fear usually experience anxiety associated with doing math or dealing with numbers in general, versus fear of actually seeing the number symbols. The fear of numbers is also sometimes referred to as numerophobia.

3. Ephebiphobia (Fear of Adolescents)

This is definitely a weird one! Ephebiphobia is a fear of adolescents or youth. People with ephebiphobia may perceive teenagers as out of control or dangerous. People with this fear may believe that teenagers are rude, unpredictable and do not follow rules. People with this fear may avoid going to a friend’s house if they have teenagers or going to places where teenagers tend to hang out. 7 Shocking Love Phobias That Can Ruin Your Sex Life.

4. Pogonophobia (Fear of Beards)

While girls drool over men having beards, some fear the same! Pogonophobia is a fear of beards that usually stems from an alarming incident with a bearded person. People with pogonophobia will avoid people with beards and may even have anxiety when looking at a picture of someone with a beard. They usually will not be friends with someone who has a beard and will feel extremely nervous when talking to someone who does.

5. Optophobia (Fear Of Opening One’s Eyes)

One of the weirdest and most inconvenient phobias one could probably have that would be of optophobia. This is the one with the fear of opening one's eyes! Although the act of opening our eyes is something that few of us ever give thought to, for optophobics this simple, daily act can be a nightmare. Luckily, if you are reading this list, you most likely aren't suffering from this condition!

While these are some of the weird, bizarre phobias that we have listed above. If you come across any such unusual or weird phobias, share in the comment section below!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2021 05:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).