This Is What Scares People Most in Every State
THESE ARE THE TOP PHOBIAS IN THE U.S., ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY.
We all have things that give us the creeps or bring on feelings of anxiety and despair. But a true phobia is a whole other level of fear. In fact, according to Harvard Health, a phobia is a type of an anxiety disorder defined as "a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation." But what are the top phobias in the U.S., and how do they vary from one state to the next?
To find out, we consulted a recent study conducted by CBD company Area52. Using Google's Keyword tool, the study's researchers analyzed 49 fears, chosen from The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 7 study. Those were then analyzed against Google Trends data to see which fear was searched for most in every state. Read on to discover the top phobias in the country and find out what scares people most in your state.
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Alabama
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Biggest fear: Death
The fear of death, or thanatophobia, is the fourth most common phobia in the U.S., according to the Area52 study. Including Alabama, it is the biggest fear in five U.S. states.
Alaska
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Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes
Trypophobia is the fear of irregular patterns of clusters of small holes. It is the top fear in a total of four U.S. states, including Alaska.
Arizona
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Biggest fear: Death
Arizona is the second of four U.S. states where thanatophobia is the most common phobia, the Area52 study found.
Arkansas
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Biggest fear: People
Anthropophobia is the fear of people. According to WebMD, "The National Institute of Mental Health does not use the term … Some researchers say it is the same as sociophobia, or social phobia, a fear of social gatherings."
Including Arkansas, the fear of people is the top phobia in six states, the Area52 study found.
California
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Biggest fear: People
With a population of nearly 40 million, it's no surprise that the fear of people is the top phobia in California. It is the second of six states on this list where that is the case.
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Colorado
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Biggest fear: Being alone
On the opposite end of the spectrum from anthropophobia is monophobia, or the fear of being alone or isolated. It is also sometimes called autophobia. Including Colorado, it is the top phobia in eight states.
Connecticut
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Biggest fear: Death
Connecticut is the third of five states—including Alabama and Arizona—where fear of death, or thanatophobia, is the top phobia.
Delaware
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Biggest fear: Vomit
Nobody likes throw-up, but did you know that there is an actual phobia dedicated to it? Well, there is, and it's called emetophobia. Delaware is one of two states where it is the biggest fear among residents.
Florida
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Biggest fear: Blood
We are all full of it, but that doesn't mean we like the sight of it. The fear of blood, or hemophobia, is a top phobia in Florida and four other states, according to the Area52 study.
Georgia
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Biggest fear: Heights
Surprisingly, acrophobia, or the fear of heights—which most people would consider common—is only the top phobia in Georgia and one other state.
Hawaii
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Biggest fear: Clowns
If you've ever seen or read It, it's probably pretty clear why people have coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns. However, it is only the top phobia in three U.S. states, including Hawaii.
Idaho
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Biggest fear: Heights
Idaho, along with Georgia, is one of only two states where the fear of heights is the top phobia among residents.
Illinois
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Biggest fear: Needles
If you can't stand getting blood drawn or receiving a flu shot then you might have trypanophobia, better known as the fear of needles. According to the Area52 study, it is the top phobia in five states, including Illinois.
Indiana
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Biggest fear: The dark
There is a reason people buy nightlights or fall asleep with the TV on. Fear of the dark, or nyctophobia, is the top phobia in Indiana and five other states.
Iowa
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Biggest fear: The dark
Iowa is another Midwestern state where residents fear the absence of light more than anything else.
Kansas
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Biggest fear: People
Kansas is the third of six states—including Arkansas and California—where people fear, well, people more than anything else.
Kentucky
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Biggest fear: Clowns
Kentucky is the second of three states, including Hawaii, where it's tough to be a clown.
Louisiana
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Biggest fear: The dark
Nyctophobia isn't limited to the Midwest. Louisiana is proof that the dark gives people in the South a fright, too.
Maine
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Biggest fear: Being without a phone
If there was ever a fear to fit modern times, it has to be nomophobia, which is the fear of being without a phone. In fact, it's almost shocking that Maine is the only state in the country where this is the top phobia.
Maryland
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Biggest fear: Being alone
Maryland is another state that values human connection so much that being without it is the biggest fear among the state's residents.
Massachusetts
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Biggest fear: Needles and blood
The two fears that tied for the top in Massachusetts sort of go hand in hand. People in this Northeastern state must really hate to have their blood work done.
Michigan
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Biggest fear: Blood
Michigan joins Florida, Massachusetts, and two other states on this list as the five places where blood was found to be the top phobia by the Area52 study.
Minnesota
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Biggest fear: The dark
Minnesota is yet another Midwestern state that likes the lights on. Like Indiana and Iowa, nyctophobia is the top phobia in the land of 10,000 lakes.
Mississippi
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Biggest fear: Public speaking
The fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia, is considered to be one of the most common phobias in the country. In fact, it's even been estimated to affect up to 75 percent of the population. However, according to the Area52 study, Mississippi is the only state in the country where it is the top phobia among residents.
Missouri
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Biggest fear: Being alone
Missouri joins Colorado, Maryland, and six other states where people fear being isolated from others more than anything else.
Montana
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Biggest fear: Spiders
While arachnophobia is one of the most common and recognized phobias in popular culture, Montana is the only state in the country where it is the top fear among residents, the Area52 study found.
RELATED: This Is How Many Types of Highly Venomous Spiders Are in Your State.
Nebraska
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Biggest fear: Death
Like people in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, and one other state on this list, Nebraska residents fear dying more than anything else.
Nevada
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Biggest fear: Being alone
There is something lonely about the idea of living in the desert, which helps explain why Nevada residents suffer from autophobia, or monophobia, more than any other of the 49 phobias examined in the Area52 study.
New Hampshire
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Biggest fear: Vomit
Just like its Northeastern neighbor Delaware, New Hampshire residents have a serious issue with regurgitation. The two states are the only ones in the country where the top phobia is emetophobia.
New Jersey
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Biggest fear: Needles
Like Illinois, Massachusetts, and two other states on this list, the top phobia in New Jersey is trypanophobia, better known as the fear of needles.
New Mexico
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Biggest fear: Confined spaces
People who suffer from claustrophobia are terrified of being in small, closely confined places. A crowded elevator stuck between floors, for example, would be less than ideal.
New York
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Biggest fear: People
While it is home to one of the largest, most crowded cities in the entire world, not everyone in New York state can handle a bustling metropolis—which is why anthropophobia is the top fear among residents.
North Carolina
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Biggest fear: Death
North Carolina is the last of five states on this list where the study found the fear of death to be the top phobia among residents.
North Dakota
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Biggest fear: People
North Dakota isn't exactly a state known for its overly populated urban areas, which is probably a good thing given that the fear of people is the top phobia among residents.
Ohio
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Biggest fear: The dark
Just like its Midwestern neighbors Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota, Ohio's biggest fear is the dark, or nyctophobia.
Oklahoma
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Biggest fear: Blood
Oklahoma is the fourth of five states on this list where residents fear blood more than anything else, according to the Area52 study.
Oregon
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Biggest fear: Needles and the dark
In Oregon, needles and the dark tied for top phobia among the state's residents. The scientific names of those fears are again trypanophobia and nyctophobia, respectively.
Pennsylvania
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Biggest fear: People
People are what scare people in Pennsylvania, which shares the top phobia with Arkansas, California, Kansas, New York, and North Dakota.
Rhode Island
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Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes
Trypophobia, as mentioned earlier in this list, is the fear of irregular patterns of clusters of small holes. It is the top fear in Rhode Island, Arkansas, and two other states on this list.
South Carolina
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Biggest fear: Being alone
Loneliness is what is most unsettling to the people of South Carolina. Just like it is to the residents of Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and three other states on this list.
South Dakota
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Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes
South Dakota is the fourth of five states on this list where the number one phobia is a fear of clusters of small holes, academically known as trypophobia.
Tennessee
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Biggest fear: Being alone
Tennessee is the sixth of eight states where people fear isolation more than anything else. Others include South Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and two more states yet to be revealed.
Texas
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Biggest fear: Blood
The Lone Star State is the fifth and final state on this list where residents' biggest fear is blood, also known as hemophobia. The others are Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oklahoma.
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Utah
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Biggest fear: Imperfection
Do you need everything to go exactly as planned or expect everything to be done perfectly? If so, you might have atelophobia, which is the fear of imperfection. Utah is the only state where it was found to be the top fear among residents.
Vermont
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Biggest fear: Feeling trapped or embarrassed
According to the Mayo Clinic, agoraphobia is "a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed." While Vermont is the only state where it was found to be the top fear, it was also the biggest phobia among residents of Washington D.C.
Virginia
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Biggest fear: Being alone
Virginia is the seventh of eight states where people fear being alone more than anything else. Others include Tennessee, South Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and the next state on this list.
Washington
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Biggest fear: Being alone
As the eighth and final state on this list where fear of being alone is the top phobia among residents, Washington joins Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, and Nevada.
West Virginia
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Biggest fear: Clowns
It's probably best not to break out the white face paint and squishy red nose when you're in West Virginia. As they do in Hawaii and Kentucky, clowns are what scare people most in the Appalachian state.
Wisconsin
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Biggest fear: Needles
In Wisconsin, people would rather do almost anything other than getting a shot at their next doctor visit. The fear of needles is also the top phobia in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon.
Wyoming
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Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes
Wyoming joins Arkansas, Rhode Island, and South Dakota as one of four states where trypophobia is the biggest fear among residents, the Area52 study found.
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