- Driver, take me to the most terrifying
place you know.
- I also suffer from acrophobia and claustrophobia.
- I'll tell you what, if you don't cooperate,
you're gonna suffer from
fist-o-phobia.
- Hello there.
I'm Cristen Conger.
This is What The Stuff, and today
we're gonna talk about phobias.
Because whether Ronald McDonald triggers your
coulrophobia
(gasps)
or the number 13 really gets your
triskaidekaphobia going...
No!
Chances are, you're afraid of something.
In fact, an estimated 19.2 million American adults
report having some kind of phobia.
And that doesn't even count
all of the adults who are too scared
to say what their phobias are.
So, let's talk about some of the strangest ones out there,
shall we?
Or are you too scared?
Did you know that Megan Fox is not only beautiful...
- Wow.
- But also terrified of paper?
- [Voiceover] No!
- That's right, she suffers from something called
papyrophobia or an irrational fear of paper.
(paper hits head)
(cries)
Now not all papyrophobes are afraid of paper
in the exact same way.
Some might be triggered by a certain type of paper,
or the tearing of paper,
or merely coming in contact with paper.
Which makes me wonder,
what do papyrophobes do when they have to
go to the bathroom?
That's a toilet paper joke.
- Let us go there, you and I
while the evening is spread out against the sky
like a patient, etherize?
I'm gonna start over.
- Let us go there...
- Do sonnets make you sweat?
Do haikus make you high?
Do limericks make you limerick into a lake?
If so, you might suffer from something called
metrophobia, which is an exaggerated fear of poetry.
And I'm not just talking about being uncomfortable
with having to read poetry, which,
let's face it, a lot of us probably suffer from that.
Some people think that this might be rooted
in grade school anxieties,
because, let's face it,
some teachers are rude about iambic pentameter.
♫ To be or not to be
♫ That's the question
♫ Chandler, how's that for iambic reference ♫
- Some teachers are rude about iambic pentameter,
Mrs. Lassiter.
You better get away.
You better get away from me.
Okay, fine, I'll get away from you.
I'll get away from you, all right?
See? I'm leaving.
I'm leaving. You better go, buddy.
If you suffer from geniophobia,
well, you better stop this video, because,
hello!
Geniophobia is an irrational fear of chins.
Not developing a strong masculine chin such as mine,
but rather looking at, or even touching it.
Did that just give you goosebumps?
In a bad way.
Mirror mirror on the wall,
who's the most terrifying of them all?
I'm looking at it.
It's not me, it's you.
Retail dressing rooms are probably trigger fests for
eisopthophobia, or a fear of looking in mirrors.
(slams hands)
(screams)
Whoa, but maybe not that much.
(smashes glass)
And not only does eisopthophobia
eliminate looking in mirrors,
it also includes any reflective surface,
which means that if I were afflicted by it,
I'd have a lot of free time on my hands.
(taps on phone)
Bill, hey, yeah,
not coming into work today.
Cuz I'm adraid of it!
No, it's a real thing, it's a phobia,
got a whole prescription and everything.
Got pills for days, Bill.
All right. Yeah, long weekend.
Hashtag cool.
Now, listen up for this one, weekend warriors because
ergophobia is an irrational fear of work,
and I'm not just talking about going to the workplace,
but anything to do with work will trigger
a high level of anxiety.
So, next time you wanna take a vacation
and ride around town in a plush car,
call in with ergophobia.
You're welcome.
Now if you're a phobophobic,
I'm really proud that you
made it this far through the video because
phobophobia is a fear
of phobias.
Or an anxiety about developing one.
In other words,
phobophobia is just being afraid of
being afraid.
Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?
- That's what it is to be a slave.
- But now for the good, not-scary news.
If you suffer from a phobia,
there are all sorts of treatments for it,
including cognitive behavioral therapy,
desensitization, and more.
So, if your doctor can figure out
the root of your phobia, you can usually overcome it,
and it doesn't have to be a life-long anxiety.
But if you wanna learn more, head on over to our article
"Ten Strange Phobias"
and stay tuned for more What The Stuff.
Driver, I said scary!
(sighs)
Drivers these days.
(scoffs) Who am I?
Paying for drivers?
(sighs)
Hashtag cool.
All right, bye Bill.
(drops phone)
Oh (bleep).
Bill.
(laughing)