The 10 strangest phobias to weird you out!

PHOBIAS are terrible ailments to have, but we can’t help but laugh at some of the things people fear. Here is a list of ten strange phobias that are both weird and wonderful…and may even get you out of a uni exam.

1. Papaphobia: People with papaphobia must have breathed a sigh or relief lately when the Pope of the Catholic Church announced his resignation. Basically papaphobia is an uncontrollable fear of the pope. We admit sometimes old people can be a bit weird, but scary…we are not so sure!
2. Papyrophobia: Use this one next time you want to get out of an exam (GB Mag does not condone exam avoidance). This is a fear of paper. Yes it could be white paper, crumpled paper, tearing paper, it doesn’t matter really. It could even be exam paper.
3. Nomophobia: We are fairly certain everyone under the age of 40 has this phobia. It is a fear of being out of mobile phone service/contact. Just imagine no sms, no phone calls, NO FACEBOOK! Take a deep breath in and exhale, it is all going to be okay.
4. Anatidaephobia: This is a fear that somewhere there is a duck watching you. Yes a duck. Okay we are not too sure how real this one is, or how many people may suffer from anatidaephobia but it seemed too amusing not to include on the list. Think about all of the ponds there are in Britain, that equates to a lot of ducks to avoid.
5. Consecotaleophobia: Many East Asian students will find this one interesting. Consecotaleophobia is a fear of chopsticks. Just the sight of those eating utensils can bring on anxiety and heavy breathing when you suffer from this phobia.
6. Geniophobia: Could there be anything scarier than the evil eye? Well those with geniophobia think so because they have a fear of chins. It looks like all of their friends would have to be bearded.
7. Xanthophobia: This is a fear of the colour yellow. Think of all of the things a Xanthophobic person would miss out on – daffodils, egg yolks, butter and beer.
8. Ablutophobia: This is the phobia you don’t want to share a dorm room with. Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing, washing or cleaning yourself…ewww.
9. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia: This is the fear of long words, oh the irony of it all.
10. Escalaphobia: This is a fear of escalators and may sound ridiculous but many people suffer from this fear. Good luck getting around the London Tube system without touching an escalator. That is the end of our list. Tell us what strange phobias you have or have heard of.