Friday, July 18, 2008

family phobia match game

i'm just the kind of geek who thinks it's interesting to know the names of different phobias. there are some really wacky fears out there. some are so specific you wonder why they bothered to name them (auroraphobia: fear of the Northern Lights). some are so benign it's hard not to puzzle over the reason behind it. whatever would cause you to be afraid of string (linonophobic)?

but that's just it, isn't it? phobias are irrational fears so there isn't always a reason behind them. although some people have some very strong fears that arise in a legitimate way. someone who was bitten as a child by a snake could understandably grow up to be ophidophobic. then again, they could grow up to be steve irwin. someone who has many bad experiences may end up panphobic like monk, paralyzed by so many fears that it's nigh impossible to live a regular existence.

but sometimes, you can have a little fun with phobias. i've compiled a short list of some mostly benign phobias below. see if you can match (and identify) the fear with the family member:




belonephobiapooka
vestiphobiadanica
bromidrophobiame
kainophobiakisu
coprastasaphobiagamma
homilophobiapam
counterphobiabug



here's a gratuitous pooka photo to prevent you from peeking at the answers:



belonephobia (needles) pam; vestiphobia (clothes) gamma; bromidrophobia (body smells) danica; kainophobia (new things) pooka; coprastasaphobia (constipation) me; homilophobia (hearing sermons) kisu; the last one is a trick question because obviously bug is not afraid of anything. but for the record counterphobia is the preference of a phobic for fearful situations.