10. Pediophobia

Fear of Dolls

'How could anyone be afraid of a doll?' I hear you ask. Well it does seem quite unlikely that anyone could be afraid of a toy that has been played with in some form by children since around 2000BC.

However since the 1988 film 'Chucky', about a psychotic doll that came to life, I suppose an abnormal fear of dolls isn't quite as preposterous as it once was. But baring supernatural killer dolls, and come to think of it those 'Cabbage Patch' creations that freaked me out, Pediophobia is still considered a bit strange.

However it's not nearly as strange as some of the phobias I came across while compiling this list, hence the lowly position of number ten.

9. Optophobia

Fear of Opening Your Eyes

While I must admit any phobia must be very difficult to live with I can't think of one that carries more impractical adversities than Optophobia, the fear of opening ones eyes.

The exact cause of this is still is debate, with many patients realising that their fear is completely irrational, but still have difficulty overcoming it and wonder around with their eyes closed all day.

8. Papaphobia

Fear of the Pope

The current pope, Pope Benedict XVI, on first glance appears to be your average looking 85-year-old kindly gent, who just happens to wear a big hat, drives about in a bullet-proof golf cart, and is a former member of the Hitler youth.

How could he possibly be conscrewed as frightening?

Well apparently there are many who somehow fear his Holy Father, as number 8 on my list of strange phobias is that of papaphobia, the fear of the pope.

I could maybe understand a fear of other popes from history that were a bit more ruthless than the present day Papa. Pope Alexander VI (1431 – 1503) fathered at least seven different illegitimate children by many mistresses, then paid their silence with the church finances. When money was low he decided to pick on the wealthy and had no qualms about jailing or murdered them under false charges before stealing all their money. Now there's a Pope to be frightened of!





7. Nomophobia

Fear of Being Without a Mobile Phone

With Facebook, Twitter, email, insant messaging and mobile phones it seems to me as if everybody has to be in immediate contact with everybody else. For some this can be a pain and the only solution is to switch all electronic devices off and relax. But for some it's not that easy.

Nomophobia is the fear of being without a mobile phone. This is a relatively new phenomena and the word was invented to describe the increased anxiety felt by some people when their mobile wasn't present.

A study in the U.K. discovered that nearly 85% of mobile phone users tend to be anxious when they "lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage". At which point this anxiety turns into an outright phobia is inclear but is a worrying statistics none the less.

6. Pteronophobia

The Fear of Being Tickled by Feathers

Many Thanks to http://kbeil365.blogspot.co.uk

Number 6 on the list is that of Pteronophobia, the fear of being tickled by feathers. I know that the picture above is actually of a baby being tickled by a tickle-stick but it was so cute I had to use it.

5. Deipnophobia

Fear of Dinner Conversations

Deipnophobia is number five on our list and is the fear of dining, dinner conversations or carrying on a conversation while eating. As you can imagine people with this phobia tend to appreciate solitary dining. If on the odd occurence they do dine with company it is expect that they also will eat in silence.

4. Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Fear of Friday the 13th

The origins of Friday the 13th being somehow unlucky revert back to the Knights Templar and the 14th century, as any one will know that has read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.

The Knights Templar, an organisation that existed for nearly 200 years in the middle ages, were among the most famous of Christian military organisations.

The knights became officially endorsed by the Catholic Church in 1129 and with the Templars increase in popularity and power came the rumoured acquisition of the most coveted object in Christendom, the holy grail.

With the increase in power and influence that the Knights now possessed the Catholic Church became worried and on Friday, October 13, 1307 the pope ordered all Templars to be simultaneously arrested. The arrest warrant started with the phrase "God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom".

The Templars were charged with a number of erroneous offences including obscene rituals and homosexuality, financial corruption, fraud and secrecy.

Many of the Knights died during vicious interrogations and the ones that finally gave in and confessed to the false accusations were sentenced to death.

The resting place of the holy grail remains a mystery but the legend of the grail lives on giving rise to Friday the 13th and our 4th phobia on the list, Paraskavedekatriaphobia.

3. Consecotaleophobia

Fear of Chopsticks

Having spent some months in China, Japan and South Korea I understand that at first the use of chopsticks can be tricky. However, apart from someone sticking one in your eye following an argument over Mahjong, it's difficult to see where the danger or fear lies.

For people with the fear of chopsticks, Consecotaleophobia is number three on our list of the weirdest phobias.

2. Geniophobia

Fear of Chins

As you can see from the photo our second weirdest fear is that of Jimmy Hill and Bruce Forsyth. No, not really, that would be far too easy a phobia to understand.

Our second weirdest phobia is that of, Geniophobia or fear of chins.

1. Arachibutyrophobia

Fear of Peanut Butter Getting Stuck to the Roof of Your Mouth

And so, to number one on our list and indeed this is a strange one. The fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth, or arachibutyrophobia, is the weirdest phobia I have ever heard of.

Perhaps if anyone, or anything, should have a ligitimate claim to be a sufferer of this phobia then it is those loveable chimps on the 1970's British t.v. adverts for P.G. tips teabags.

The chimps were filmed wearing human clothing playing on the old idea of a chimps tea party. The directors got the chimps to move their mouths by smearing peanut butter, yes you've guessed it, into the roof of their mouths. In an effort to free the aforementioned peanut butter, the chimps moved their jaws up and down and it looked like talking. The directors then dubbed over this mimicking to create the advert.