What are the most common phobias? Plus, how to treat them

Mental HealthStress & Anxiety

Jan 6

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

From spiders to flying, phobias are more prevalent than you think. Explore a list of the most common phobias, what causes them, and 7 tips to help you manage them in everyday life.

Does this sound familiar? Your hands grip the armrests as the plane jolts again, and it’s just enough to make your stomach twist. You try to play it cool and even do a few deep-breathing exercises to ground yourself, but your body is already in full alert mode. Rationally, you know turbulence is common. But your pulse doesn’t seem to care.

Phobias can hit like that — they’re sudden, physical, and hard to reason with. Even when you're completely safe, the fear can feel real and overwhelming. Sometimes it’s tied to something specific, like flying or needles. Other times, it shows up more subtly, shaping the routes you take, the plans you cancel, or the habits you build to avoid discomfort.

Let’s take a deep dive into phobias: what they are, how they form, and why they can linger, even when you know they’re silly. We’ll explore a few common fears, insights into their root causes, and practical tools that can help soften their grip over time.

What are phobias?

Everyone feels afraid sometimes. After all, it’s how our brain keeps us safe. But a phobia takes fear to another level. It’s a powerful, specific response to something that usually isn’t dangerous at all.

Phobias fall under the anxiety disorder umbrella, but what sets them apart is focus. A particular object, situation, or activity—think spiders, flying, or heights—triggers a surge of panic. The reaction can be intense and physical, with symptoms such as a racing heart, shaky hands, and trouble breathing.

Avoidance is a big part of how phobias show up. That might mean canceling travel plans, skipping doctor’s appointments, or dodging certain social settings just to avoid the fear. Over time, that avoidance can reinforce anxiety, making the fear feel even more unmanageable.

If you think you’re the only one with a phobia, think again. Phobias are surprisingly common and highly treatable. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 12% of adults will experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives. And kids and teens can develop them, too.

3 main types of phobias

Clinicians generally group phobias into three main types: specific phobias, social phobia (social anxiety disorder), and agoraphobia. These categories help explain why phobias can look so different from person to person.

1. Specific phobias: The most common type of phobia is called a specific phobia. It involves an intense fear of a particular object or situation, such as spiders, snakes, heights, flying, or needles. These fears often begin in childhood or adolescence, sometimes after a scary experience or after seeing someone else react with fear. Over time, avoidance becomes a coping strategy for this type of phobia.

Skipping the trigger feels like relief in the moment, but it simply reinforces the fear, creating a cycle that can be hard to break.

2. Social phobia (social anxiety disorder): This is more than just shyness. Social anxiety involves a deep fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected in social or performance situations. Common triggers include public speaking, meeting new people, or eating in front of others.

The anxiety often shows up physically too, with symptoms like trembling, sweating, or blushing. For this specific phobia, therapy can make a big difference. Treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and gradual exposure are especially effective for managing social anxiety

3. Agoraphobia: Agoraphobia is the fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable, like crowds, public transport, or open spaces. Panic attacks can make this fear stronger, sometimes leading people to stay home entirely.

Treatment often combines gradual exposure, therapy, and sometimes medication to reduce overall anxiety and rebuild confidence in daily life.

What causes phobias?

There’s rarely one clear reason a phobia develops. Most form through a mix of experience, biology, and learned responses.

Here are a few common causes behind phobias:

Past experiences: A single scary or painful event can plant the seed of a lasting fear, like experiencing turbulence during a flight or being bitten by a dog.
Learned fear: Sometimes, we pick up fears simply by watching someone else’s reaction. For instance, seeing a parent panic around spiders can teach a child to do the same.
Family patterns and temperament: Anxiety tends to run in families. People who are naturally more sensitive to stress may be more likely to develop phobias.
Brain and biology: The amygdala, the brain’s “fear center”, can become overactive, triggering a full alarm even when there’s no real threat.
Evolutionary wiring: Certain fears, like of heights or snakes, may stem from ancient survival instincts that once helped keep humans safe.
Avoidance: Each time you avoid your trigger, your brain learns that avoidance equals safety. Over time, this strengthens the phobia.

How to know if you have a phobia

Feeling afraid sometimes is completely normal, since fear is part of how the brain keeps us safe. But when that fear becomes overwhelming, lasts a long time, and centers around something that isn’t actually dangerous, it might be a phobia.

Overall, a phobia is a deep, physical reaction that can lead to panic, avoidance, and disruption in daily life. You might be dealing with one if you notice any of the following:

The fear feels extreme or uncontrollable: Even thinking about the trigger can cause panic, dizziness, or a racing heart.

Avoidance shapes your choices: You go out of your way to avoid situations that might expose you to the trigger, even if it limits your daily life.

The reaction lasts over time: The fear doesn’t fade after a few weeks or months. Instead, it sticks around — sometimes for years.

You know it’s irrational, but can’t stop it: Many people with phobias are logically aware that the danger isn’t real, but this knowledge doesn’t quiet the body’s alarm system.

List of common phobias from A-Z

There are hundreds of known phobias, and some can be surprisingly specific. Most phobias fall into a few broad categories (think animals, natural environments, medical situations, and specific activities or spaces), but the experience is always personal. Two people can share the same phobia, but feel it in completely different ways.

Here’s a look at some of the most common phobias, spanning from A to Z.

A

Achluophobia – fear of the dark
Acrophobia – fear of heights
Aerophobia (or aviophobia) – fear of flying
Agoraphobia – fear of being in situations where escaping might be difficult
Ailurophobia – fear of cats
Algophobia – fear of pain
Anthropophobia – fear of people or society
Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
Astraphobia – fear of thunder and lightning
Atelophobia – fear of imperfection
Atychiphobia – fear of failure

B

Bacteriophobia (or mysophobia) – fear of germs or contamination
Belonephobia (or trypanophobia) – fear of needles or injections
Bibliophobia – fear of books

C

Claustrophobia – fear of enclosed or tight spaces
Coulrophobia – fear of clowns
Cynophobia – fear of dogs

D

Dentophobia – fear of dentists or dental procedures

E

Emetophobia – fear of vomiting
Entomophobia – fear of insects

G

Glossophobia – fear of public speaking

H

Hemophobia – fear of blood
Hydrophobia – fear of water or drowning

M

Monophobia (or autophobia) – fear of being alone

N

Necrophobia – fear of dead things
Nosophobia – fear of disease
Nyctophobia – fear of the dark

O

Ophidiophobia – fear of snakes
Ornithophobia – fear of birds

P

Pediophobia – fear of dolls
Pyrophobia – fear of fire

S

Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) – fear of social or performance situations
Spheksophobia – fear of wasps
Spectrophobia – fear of mirrors or reflections

T

Thanatophobia – fear of death or dying
Trypophobia – fear of clusters of small holes or patterns

X

Xenophobia – fear or distrust of strangers or the unfamiliar

Z

Zoophobia – general fear of animals

How to cope with phobias: 7 tips to manage the fear

Living with a phobia can feel exhausting, especially when the world doesn’t pause for your fear. The good news, though? Phobias are among the most treatable anxiety conditions, and even small steps can make a real difference.

The approaches below can help calm the body’s fear response and gradually rebuild confidence.

1. Start with supported exposure

Start with supported exposure. Avoiding a feared situation might feel better in the moment, but over time, it can make the fear stronger.

Step-by-step exposure, like looking at a photo or imagining the scenario, can help retrain your brain to see the trigger as less threatening. A therapist trained in exposure therapy can also guide this process in a way that feels manageable and safe to you.

2. Ground yourself in the present

When fear takes over, your body thinks it’s in danger.

Grounding techniques, like feeling your feet on the floor, naming five things you can see, or focusing on slow, steady breathing, can help bring your nervous system back to the here and now.

💙 Need help with calming your nervous system? Try Sensory Grounding SOS with Jeff Warren on the Calm app.

3. Try mindfulness or meditation

Mindfulness won’t make fear disappear, but it can shift how you relate to it. Instead of getting pulled into panic, you learn to notice the fear without letting it take over.

Even a short pause, like a two-minute check-in to say, “This is fear talking, but I’m safe right now,” can help settle your body’s stress response.

Over time, that kind of awareness builds resilience. The fear might still show up, but it won’t hit quite as hard or feel as impossible to manage.

💙 For some extra guidance, press play on Softening Fear with Tamara Levitt on the Calm app.

4. Challenge the anxious thoughts

Challenge the story your fear is telling you. Phobias often come with intense, worst-case thoughts that feel automatic and absolute. In those moments, try to pause and question the fear instead of just reacting to it. Ask yourself, “What’s actually happening right now? What’s the real risk here? Have I been through this before and come out okay?”

These questions help create a little space between you and the fear. Techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are especially helpful here, because they teach you how to spot distorted thoughts, test them against real evidence, and gradually replace them with more grounded, accurate ones. Over time, this can make your fear feel more manageable and less in control.

5. Care for your baseline

Take care of your baseline to soften the edges of fear. When your body is running on empty—like too little sleep, too much caffeine, or skipped meals—it’s much harder to stay calm in the face of a trigger. Your nervous system is already on high alert, which makes any fear feel louder and harder to manage.

Simple, steady routines can make a big difference. Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating balanced meals, and moving your body regularly can all help regulate your stress response. Cutting back on caffeine and alcohol can also reduce anxiety spikes.

While these aren’t cure-alls, they create a stronger foundation for doing the deeper work of facing your fears, and this helps make the process easier on yourself.

6. Reach for support if needed

You don’t have to face a phobia alone. Sharing your experience with someone you trust or joining a support group can reduce shame and build confidence.

If you decide to work with a therapist, look for someone experienced in treating anxiety disorders or specific phobias. This clarity matters, and they’ll be able to help you find a treatment plan that works best for you.

7. Celebrate every step of progress

Recognize and celebrate every bit of progress. That might mean taking an elevator, showing up to a crowded event, or just not turning around and going home when the panic starts to rise.

These moments matter, as each one sends a message to your brain, telling it that you’re capable of handling more than the fear suggests. Small, everyday wins deserve acknowledgment.

💙 Need some extra help? Explore Letting Go of Perfectionism with Tamara Levitt on the Calm app.

Common phobias FAQs

What are the top common phobias people have?

Some of the most common phobias include fear of spiders (arachnophobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), heights (acrophobia), flying (aerophobia), dogs (cynophobia), needles (trypanophobia), enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), germs (mysophobia), and social or performance situations (social phobia).

But this isn’t a comprehensive list. There are several others, although they may be less prevalent.

How many people have phobias?

Phobias are surprisingly common. Research suggests that around 12.5% of adults will experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives, and many more live with milder, unrecognized forms of fear.

What’s the difference between a fear and a phobia?

A fear is a natural, temporary response to something that feels unsafe.

A phobia is more intense and persistent. It causes overwhelming anxiety, leads to avoidance, and can disrupt daily routines if not managed.

Can phobias go away on their own?

Sometimes, phobias can fade over time — especially if the trigger isn’t encountered often. But in most cases, phobias stick around, and even grow stronger through avoidance.

But with therapy, especially CBT or exposure therapy, many people can see major improvements over time.

Can mindfulness and meditation practices help with phobias?

Yes, and in very specific ways. Mindfulness and meditation can help you recognize fear as it rises and reduce your body’s panic response.

While they don’t replace therapy, they can make exposure and coping strategies more effective by calming the nervous system gently.

How can I best help someone with a phobia?

The best way to support someone with a phobia is to listen with care and take their fear seriously, even if it doesn’t make sense to you. After all, phobias aren’t about logic. Avoid downplaying their experience or pushing them into situations that trigger panic. Respecting their boundaries builds trust, which can make a real difference over time.

If they’re open to working through their phobia, encourage small, manageable steps and celebrate progress without pressure. During moments of panic, offer steady support, like helping them focus on their breath or gently shifting their attention.

Most importantly, be patient. Recovery from phobias isn’t instant: it takes time, consistency, and compassion. Your support matters more than you might realize.

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phobias

Calm Editorial Team