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Bob & LBF in the Morning

Bob & LBF in the Morning

Bob & LBF in the Morning

The Number 1 Fear for People Who Live in Massachusetts?

Author Lauren Beckham Falcone

The Number One Fear for Massachusetts Residents?

Phobias are real, people. Real scary.

The number one fear for  Massachusetts residents is probably the scariest of all.

But before we get to that study, let’s discuss some rational and totally irrational fears, shall we?

Phobias are those pesky fears that make your heart race faster than a kid hopped up on candy on Halloween night. And Halloween brings out the ‘fraidy cat in all of us.

So what keeps us up at night?

Let’s start with the classics.

Arachnophobia, the fear of eight-legged freaks, turns any cobweb into a death trap.

Claustrophobia? Suddenly, that coffin costume looks tooooo cozy. And don’t get me started on coulrophobia – clowns! Thanks John Wayne Gacy and Pennywise.

But hold on, because Halloween’s all about surprises.

People are afraid of weird things, too. How about trypophobia, the fear of clusters of tiny holes? (My mother has that!)

And for those who fear long words, they suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. Yep, that’s the ironic king of phobias.

Have you heard of arachibutyrophobia? It’s the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Who knew PB&J could be so sinister?

Still, Halloween’s the season to embrace your inner scaredy-cat, whether it’s a common fear or a bizarre one.

And there’s safety in numbers.

Casino.org surveyed 2,500 Americans to reveal every state’s biggest phobia for the country’s spookiest holiday.

Acrophobia (the fear of heights) is America’s #1 phobia, according to 21 states

Social phobia was voted as 6 states biggest phobias, making it America’s 2nd haunting fear

Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, ranks 3rd nationwide, according to 5 states

Atychiphobia (the fear of failure), Thanatophobia (the fear of death), Trypanophobia (the fear of injections) and Ophidiophobia (the fear of snakes) tied for 4th overall.

Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces) appears to haunt one state and one state only: MississippiAll very scary, for sure.

But here in Massachusetts, we’re very, very, very afraid of:Death. And dying. It’s call Thanatophobia.

That’s a legit concern, so I feel like we’re pretty rational when it comes to being afraid of something.

Clowns? Spiders? Snakes? Nothing compared to the Grim Reaper.

Happy Halloween!

Lauren Beckham Falcone is the co-host of Bob & LBF in the Morning. Formerly an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Boston Herald, she credits her current success as a pop culture commentator to watching too much TV as a kid and scouring the internet too much as an adult. LBF is a regular contributor to NECN and is an honorary board member at the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. Lauren lives in Canton with her husband Dave and her daughter Lucy. Lauren writes about trending topics, New England destinations, and seasonal DIY.

Afraid So! The 7 Most Googled Phobias in Massachusetts

Afraid So! The 7 Most Googled Phobias in Massachusetts.

9.1% of Americans currently have some form of phobia. Which fears are most searched for in Massachusetts? And where does the fear of clowns rank?

Well, BetMassachusetts.com analyzed Google searches and guess what?

Bay Staters are babies! Looks like we are afraid of a lot of things, according to google.

The list of most-googled phobias in Massachusetts is out.

And you’d be surprised at what freaks people out.

Dunkin’ closing for good? Nope. Traffic on the expressway? Nah. Ben Affleck breaking up with J-Lo? Not even close.

Oh, phobias, the irrational fears that make some people quake in their boots.

It’s fascinating how something as harmless as a spider or a clown can send some people into a state of panic.

Take arachibutyrophobia, for example. This is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

That’s very, very specific.

Then there’s papyrophobia, the fear of paper. Yes, paper. The same stuff we use to write notes, print out documents, and wrap presents. It’s everywhere, and yet there are people out there who can’t stand the thought of touching it.

Thank God for email!

Let’s not forget about alektorophobia, the fear of chickens. What the cluck? Imagine a life without Chick-fil-A? Or KFC? Debilitating.

I’ve never heard of  nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone or mobile device. Okay, maybe this one is a bit more understandable in today’s society. Just think what Tik-Tok is doing to us!

One of my personal favorites is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words.

I mean, come on! The name of the phobia itself is a long word! How are people with this phobia supposed to even talk about it without freaking out?

Anyway, phobias may be a serious issue for some people – I don’t like driving on the highway. It’s called Amaxophobia and it’s REALLY annoying. Especially if I want to go to Maine.

Anyhoo, I’m afraid it’s time to tell you:

Here are the 7 Most Googled Phobias in Massachusetts:

  • 7. Scopophobia

    Fear of being stared at. OK, legit. Imagine if everyone, all at once, just started looking at you? Freaky. Unless you are a Kardashian. They fear people NOT staring at them.
    Staring

  • 6. Arachnophobia

    Fear of spiders. I know someone who is so afraid of spiders, you can’t even send her a PHOTO of a spider.

  • 5. Acrophobia

    Fear of heights. I can’t watch a movie where there are people high up. It makes my palms sweat. And I am not afraid of heights so I can’t imagine what that’s like.

  • 4. Emetophobia

    Fear of vomiting. Totally relate. Do you ever start to feel sick when someone says they spent the day throwing up? I’m totally convinced I’m going to ralph too.

  • 3. Claustrophobia

    Fear of closed spaces. Ding, ding, ding. I have this. It’s awful. The scene in “Double Jeopardy” is a total nightmare!

  • 2. Thalassophobia

    Fear of the ocean. Well, to be fair, there are a LOT of things in the ocean to be afraid of.

  • 1. Trypophobia

    Fear of clustered patterns of irregular holes. My mother has this! Holes in jeans, shirts, etc. FREAKS her out. It was fun to torture her with my ripped jeans in the 80s!

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