Scared Stiff: Everything You Need to Know about 50 Famous Phobias

by Sara Latta

Everyone knows what it is to be afraid. But phobias take the normal (and even helpful!) human emotion of fear to a much more visceral, even primal, place. For some people, it’s a spider that does it. For others it’s a clown, or a trans-Atlantic flight, or even just a puddle of water. It’s the thing that stops us in our tracks, sets our hearts racing, and stands our hairs on end. Scared Stiff takes readers on a journey through these experiences—using biology, psychology, and history (not to mention pop culture) to explain where our phobias came from, how they affect us, and how we might eventually overcome them.

Inside You’ll Also Find:

An explanation of the history behind each of these fifty phobias, and a discussion of notable people who have suffered from the fear
Sidebars that highlight famous phobic moments from history and pop culture
Updates on how successful the various phobia treatments have been

Phobias are no laughing matter, but sometimes the first step to overcoming our anxiety is understanding that sometimes we’re afraid of some really weird things. So whether you’re looking for perspective, information, or just want to know what keeps Madonna and David Beckham up at night, this is the book for you. (Bibliophobes, however, should probably keep their distance!)

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Mental Health, Self Help

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Sara Latta is the author of seventeen books for children and young adults on topics that include dark matter, the secret life of microbes, DNA, bones, and forensic science. She also has a masters degree in immunology. She does have a bit of a phobia about heights, as she discovered when faced with having to climb down from a pyramid in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted at Shelf Inflicted

This is a fun and easy-to-read guide on 50 different types of phobias.

The phobias are listed in alphabetical order and include the Greek and Latin terms from which they originate. There are interesting little tidbits of information along with quotes and a mention of phobic celebrities.

Author Libba Bray is afraid of dolls (pediophobia). Stephen King says, “Dolls with no little girls around to mind them are sort of creepy under any conditions.” I’m a little disappointed that Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter’s pediophobia was not mentioned, nor the fact that he gave it to his character, Tig.



I was familiar with many of the phobias, because I have mild versions of two of them and know people (or read about people) with some of the others.

My discomfort with large, crowded spaces (agoraphobia) can probably be attributed to a trip with my dad to the Bronx Zoo when I was 8 years old. He held my hand most of the time, but let me go while he was taking pictures. A large group of kids crowded in front of the elephants my dad was photographing and we ended up getting separated. I panicked when I couldn’t see him, so I tried to get around the kids. A man walking ahead was wearing a black and gray tweed winter coat and a black fur hat with earflaps, just like my dad, so I ran up to him and grabbed his hand. When he looked at me, I realized he wasn’t my dad. Just before my heart dropped out of my chest, my dad grabbed my hand and scolded me for wandering off.

A more recent experience is mentioned here.

I can’t say I’ve had any negative experiences with spiders (arachnophobia), but I’ve had a love-hate relationship with them for a long time. I’m fascinated with them when I look at pictures or see them in enclosed displays. When they are jumping, creeping around, or emerging from hidden places, I totally freak out. When I moved out of my last apartment, the easiest way to move boxes of books I had in the basement was up a short flight of stairs and out through the bulkhead door. Knowing there were lots of long-legged spiders and their hideous webs there, I lugged the heavy boxes up the steep basement stairs, through the kitchen and out the door. I’m still not sure why I loathe spiders, but don’t suffer a fear of snakes (ophidiophobia).

Some of these phobias are quite common:

- Social phobia – 7 to 13 percent of Americans
- Trypanophobia (fear of needles) – 10 percent of Americans
- Aviophobia (fear of flying) – 6.5 percent of Americans

Others are rather unusual:

- Urophobia (fear of urination) – This fear occurs more frequently in men than in women.
- Coprophobia (fear of defecation) – While I’m not a major sufferer, I feel uncomfortable doing my business in crowded restrooms and try to avoid it when possible.
- Taphophobia (fear of being buried alive) – Before stethoscopes were invented, this fear was very legitimate! Shortly before his death in 1875, Hans Christian Anderson asked a friend to make sure his arteries were severed before he was buried.

In the back of the book, the author includes tips on overcoming your fears, including seeking professional help, and a list of resources.

Recommended.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is complicated: I ordered this book from the library because G.E. Gallas "friended" me on Twitter, seeing I read and retweet things about comics. I looked here on Goodreads for what she had done in comics, and ordered the two things she has done so far, one of them featuring her illustrations: This book, Scared Stiff. My first impression about the book was that I liked Gallas's cover, but was disappointed to see so few illustrations inside, and then, that they are so small. The type face is small and dense and not inviting at all, especially as you imagine a lot of young people might be interested in this topic. My view is that this book needs more and funner illustrations and a little bit lighter tone to engage readers. A greater balance between words and illustration, I would say. More space to breathe.

That said, who's not interested in phobias?

My favorites, of the fifty featured in this book:

Coulrophobia: Fear of Clowns (that John Gacy thing, the ever-smiling clown) (and then “No clowns were funny. That was the whole purpose of a clown. People laughed at clowns, but only out of nervousness. The point of clowns was that, after watching them, anything else that happened seemed enjoyable.” Terry Pratchett)

Kinemortophobia: Fear of Zombies (a kind of imaginary fear of an imaginary thing!)

Koumpouphobia: Fear of Buttons

Nomophobia: Fear of Being Out of Mobile Phone Contact (Phone no mo'! Need I say, a very contemporary anxiety. Some sci-fi story will have cell phones implanted in hands, thus never lost)

Pediophobia: Fear of Dolls (I used to have nightmares of talking baby dolls when I was a kid!)

Pogonophobia: Fear of Beards (Pogo?)

Triskaiedakaphoboa: Fear of Thirteen

All these huge fancy Greek terms for your little private anxieties.

And cats have phobias, too!

I liked the "scare quotes" sections related to particular phobias, that was a little bit fun.

Fear of Sleep: "I'm afraid to sleep. It's a form of death." Edith Piaf

Fear of Dolls: "You know you've made it when you've been molded in miniature plastic. But you know what children do with Barbie dolls--it's a bit scary, actually." Cate Blanchett

Fear of Dentists: Some tortures are physical/And some are mental,/ but the one that is both/is dental. Ogden Nash.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little book. There's nothing really new here. The book basically runs down the details of what various phobias are. You get their names, what they entail and some theories about each of them.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of 50 phobias. I liked the format of the book. The phobias are listed in alphabetical order, you are given the Greek or Latin name from where they originate, there is insight on how to conquer your fear, and famous people are quoted who have some of these conditions. I chose prompt #31 because I’d rather learn of phobias than read a fiction book where insects are crawling on me (my phobia).
Prompt #31
#the52bookclub2024

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was underwhelming.

In high school, I developed an interest in phobias. I don't know why. I was weird. I had a list printed off The Phobia List website and in the morning before school I would memorize two or three interesting phobias, like geniophobia (fear of chins) or nomataophobia (fear of names). Then I would amuse my table mates in art class, and we would laugh while drawing our still lifes. Ah, what fun. One of them even bought me The Pop-Up Book of Phobias one Christmas, which is arguably the best present I have ever received (I still can't open to the arachnophobia page without jumping back in fright).

Apparently, like the creator of The Phobia List, my interest in phobias is for the names only. For me, this book might as well have been titled Everything You Never Knew You Never Cared To Know About Phobias. It managed to turn everything interesting about phobias incredibly dull. The humorous bits were not funny at all. And guess what? Celebrities have phobias too! Just like us regular folk!

Okay, I admit there were a few interesting tidbits here. Chief among them was Isla de las Muencas. Warning: Don't click the spoiler if you suffer from pediophobia.



A lot of the information in this book I already knew, and I imagine anyone who has a brain probably knows it too. When in doubt, assume the name of any given phobia is Greek in origin. If it's not Greek, it's probably Latin. And it's incredibly easy to parse out the meaning of the names, even if you don't speak either language. (Ex. Ailurophobia (fear of cats): from the Greek word ailuros, meaning ... CAT! Or pogonophobia (fear of beards): from the Greek word pogon, meaning ... Well, I won't spoil it for you.)

I suppose anyone who knows nothing about phobias and doesn't mind a bland (but trying really hard to be interesting) read would like this book.

Oh, and the information on how to overcome a phobia was pretty much unnecessary. If I was in need of such a thing, this book would surely be the last place I'd look for help.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to have won this book from Zest Books on LibraryThing. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I have always been interested in weird phobias so this book was right up my alley. It was well written and well researched. I especially enjoyed reading about the germ phobia because it gave me some helpful information about dirt NOT being all that bad.
It was interesting to learn of certain celebrities who have some of these phobias, especially Lucille Ball's fear of birds. It makes me wonder how she was able to film the episode of I Love Lucy where she dressed as superman for little Ricky's birthday party. She crawled out the window and hid on the ledge with a bunch of pigeons. They even landed on her! Then there was another episode, when they were living in Connecticut, when she decided to buy chicks and go into the chicken business. I wonder how she handled that episode.
This is a book for teens and adults alike. I'm sure my kids will enjoy reading it as much as I have.

[Teresa Staton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prompt 31: Includes a personal phobia
#the52bookclub
#2024readingchallenge

[cece (slowpokereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really see how you could dislike this book.
It's a non fiction book about phobias.
The font is a bit small, sure, but that doesn't make it bad or anything.

Latta's writing was well written and humorous at times and had fun facts about movies and other things. It was educational and fun to read!

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

And interesting enough read! It was a bit of a slog towards the end because it was so formulaic, but it's the sort of book you'd read with a friend nearby and read them fun facts. I felt like I learned a couple things about phobia-related acclimation therapy, and I now know that people can have a fear of buttons.
There's also one small factual error that I found relating to a mention of Les Miserables. The book says that Les Mis takes place during the French Revolution, but it's actually based on the June Rebellion of 1832!

[elstaffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book until I got to the end and read the "for further reading" section, which suggested books for teens like me (or some words to that effect). I felt weirdly angry, like I'd been duped into reading a children's book. But then I realized that was dumb, because I'd enjoyed it. And also that explained some of the simplified explanations and choices of phobias to cover. So I'm back up to my original rating. Victory!

[Starbubbles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am clearing out my "currently reading" shelf and calling this one. I am not coming back to finish this. While it is short and separated by many sections, it is difficult for me to read it on my phone. It is the only device I have that can do the ebook (which is the only format I have from the library). The book is informative and a little dry, but a good enough read if you like learning about different phobias.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buddy read with Erica!

I liked this but I didn't love it. It was definitely interesting, and I liked learning the histories behind some of these phobias, but reading it straight through just got a little too repetitive for me.

Also: how do you not mention Chuckie in the doll phobia chapter?!?!

Overall though, it was a decent read.

[Mattie Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dude this was so cool, 100% recommend

[Blair Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, not textbook like, and full of interesting tidbits. I definitely feel like I learned something from this.

[Wendy Lovatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and very interesting and probably very helpful to some sufferers.

[Bon Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun. I enjoyed reading about things that people are scared about.

[Sunny Kim]

I liked this book and how it tells us about all the phobias and gives us more information about it.

[Katie Starling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for “contains a personal phobia” this is definitely targeted to a younger audience. Good quick overview of some phobias.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's ok.

[Masoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and easy book to read about the 50 most famous phobias in a quick way, written for general readers. Each chapter tells a brief story about a phobia, the psychological root of it, some famous phobics among celebrities or politicians, and give some tips on overcoming it.
I wasn't familiar with many of the phobias including acrophobia (extreme or irrational fear of heights), claustrophobia (extreme or irrational fear of confined places), Aquaphobia (irrational fear of water), Trypanophobia (fear of needles), and Aviophobia (fear of flying). I also don't think that they are such unusual phobias such as: Urophobia (fear of urination), Taphophobia (fear of being buried alive).

[Clara♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The non-fiction genre is based on real facts and information. Some examples are essays, journals, diaries, documents, science papers, biographies, textbooks and travel books. The book that I read was about phobias. The book had many phobias that are obscure like the fear of cats, the fear of disorder, the fear of sleeping, and the fear of plant, and the fear of phobias. The most interesting fear that I read about was the fear of buttons, the chapter starts by instructing the reader about the fear then it names a celebrity who has developed this fear. Each chapter is a different phobia. The chapter does not only explain what the phobia is,it also names celebrities that have that fear and how most people developed their fears. There is an index and a table of contents and pictures of the fear.
I think that the book was really interesting, and not hard to understand. The authors writing style was a different type than I am used to reading, but once I started reading I figured it out. The book was really interesting to read but it was a really big book. I think that the author knew a lot about all of the phobias. but I wish that the book was divided into different books. one book would be what the phobia is the second book would be who has this fear and the third book could be how to get over this phobia. People can learn about everyday phobias that we don’t realize are going on. They can learn to get over their fears or to help someone else get over their fears. This book has some fun segments but other parts are very serious. I don’t personally enjoy reading non-fiction because I like to read about something that hasn’t happened, instead of something that has. I enjoy a story more than learning facts. A teen who is interested in phobias should read this book because the book has a lot of content and material. I rate this book a 8 out of 10.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sara Latta's book,Scared Stiff, is an easy-to-read, factual, and entertaining book about the many phobias people in America and around the world have. Over the course of the 224 page book, you will learn information on why and how these fears exist and how they can affect people.
From fear of clowns (Coulrophobia), to fear of beards (Pogonophobia), Scared Stiff has nearly all the fears you could think of, and even some you probably couldn’t have. The book lists 50 phobias chronologically. In each section, you will hear about the background of the phobia, possible reasons for people having this phobia, as well as fun tidbits such as movies involving the subject being feared, famous phobics, and quotes that involve the fear. Even better, at the end of the book, the author supplies you with ways to overcome fears! As someone who has quite a few severe phobias, it was especially interesting for me to read the certain chapters on phobias that apply to me, such as Arachnophobia, Social Phobia , and Hemophobia. I felt the book supplied sufficient information about each phobia, while still adding humor and being fun to read. I was never uninterested while reading this book.
I would recommend this book to people who have phobias, would like to learn more about their phobias (or phobias in general), and people who have an interest in human behavior (why people react the way they do to things they’re afraid of, what causes people to become afraid of something,etc.). Overall, Scared Stiff is a book you can read easily and learn a lot of interesting phobia facts from, while still remaining entertained.

[Zest Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A fun and insightful look at 50 phobias, some common like ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and others unusual such as koumpounophobia (fear of buttons). Latta describes the biology of fear and explains that while some are beneficial for survival, they can become phobias if they are so severe as to interfere with everyday life. The phobias are arranged alphabetically and include explanations of the origins of their names and how the fears may have developed. Famous people who have suffered from them (Lincoln feared dentists), interesting sidebars (“scare quotes”), and pop-culture references make the volume accessible and appealing to a wide audience. Simple, abstract illustrations keep the pages from being cluttered. The easy-to-use index allows quick access to specific phobias, though most will want to read the book cover to cover. The author’s lively style will certainly hold readers’ attention. For those wanting to delve more deeply into the subject, the appendix provides print and web resources." –Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO in March 2014 issue of School Library Journal

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teens who are interested in all or just some specific phobias will find the information interesting, but it may not have wide appeal. The cover is decent - it features a drawing of a blue-faced women holding her hands to her mouth in fear. However, the dense, small typeface that could be off-putting to some teens. The foreword and introduction are a bit frustrating - just get to the phobias!

The table of contents lists the proper names of each phobia followed by which fear it represents. Included are some odd phobias - including fear of dolls, beards, buttons and phobias! The book is organized well. Each chapter describes the phobia, has a section on famous phobics, how to overcome the fear and a scare quote. Each section has at least one small black and white drawing. Appendix in back that lists how to overcome the fears (i.e. what kind of therapy works), as well as a notes and index section. Overall, it’s a fun reference book that teens can pick up when wanting to read about a specific phobia, but I don’t think any teen will read it cover to cover.

[Tristan Y. · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I picked up the book because I had to for a Non-Fiction unit at my school, but as I continued to read I found it to be increasingly more interesting as I read on.
Scared Stiff by Sara Latta talks and describes about 50 common phobias ranging from the most common phobia (Arachnophobia) to koumpounophobia - (the fear of buttons). Even at some parts of the book it even explains some real-life stories and how phobias can be developed in the first place.
I found the the book to be a relatively easy read, at least that is for a eighth grader. This book as I said before continues to get more and more interesting as you read on, and the way it is written makes it different from any old boring medical book that you would read.
I'd personally recommend this book to people who prefer a more interesting and factual book. I guess I'd say this book should go to the person who has the motivation to read and learn more.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scared Stiff is a ridiculously great book to browse and looks back in time at many different people’s phobias. It is amusing to figure out which ones you know and don’t. Some names of phobias that were new to me included “Spectrophobia (Fear of Mirrors)” and “Triskaidekaphobia (Fear of Thirteen).” I liked reading about my own fears including the Acrophoiba (Fear of Heights) to get some insights. This book immediately won me over when it had a section called Scare Quotes and it quoted Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory “Fear of heights is irrational. However, fear of falling is prudent and evolutionary” (25). I’d recommend this for older tweens and teens looking for something out of the ordinary to kill time. This would be excellent for Summer Reading!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone is afraid of something. This book is about phobias, from the ones that make sense to the ones that make you think what??? From pyrophobia to koumpounophobia they're all in here. The book also includes celebrity phobias. There is also information about various treatments and how effective they are.

This would be a great book for a rainy day at the cottage. Since it is a book that you can pick up for just a few minutes and pick up at another time it would be a great book to leave in that other "reading room :)". Please note that the book is not making fun of people with phobias. These are real fears and can alter the way a person lives.

I received this book for free in exchange for providing an honest review.

[Aaron Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most obvious connection in the books I read about fear started with Scared Stiff: Everything You Need To Know About 50 Famous Phobias. I will admit I was not interested in this book at first. As I started to read I found myself quite fascinated. The book discusses phobias and fear, reasons why the exists, and 50 examples. What I like the about the book was that it was a fun read. Short concise chapters about each fear with a good description, very interesting facts and tidbits, and coping mechanisms to deal with our fears. I am sharing this with my son. I never gave much thought to seriousness of phobias until I read about them in a book. Did you know Abe Lincoln had a huge fear of dentists? Why not find out more about phobias and learn a few things along the way.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author does not have a PhD. She probably does not have a college diploma either. But the editor saved the day: the foreword is written by someone with a PhD. Which does not make things any better. Anyway: how can these people know 'everything' and not just any everything, but the everything 'you need to know'. And because the team is so well qualified, it was a walk in the park to find the 50 famous phobias. End sarcasm. This book is pure crap. Any piece of junk they could have got in the dumpster is there: qualifications as 'ancient', translation from Latin, even a few V.I.P. connected with the phobia, even idiotic old wives' tale of treatment.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scared Stiff is a fascinating book that gives a closer look at what people are afraid of. 50 of the most popular or well-known phobias are discussed. This includes the history or origin of the phobia as well as famous people who suffer from this and instances of the phobia in pop culture. I would have given this five stars except one thing. I would have loved having a pronunciation guide for the phobias. Some of them are quite obvious but others aren't. I am sure I did okay sounding them out, but some younger kids might struggle and get frustrated not having a clue how to say them.