"Predictably Irrational Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions is a 2008 book by Dan Ariely, in which he challenges readers' assumptions about making decisions based on rational thought. Ariely explains, ""My goal, by the end of this book, is to help you fundamentally rethink what makes you and the people around you tick. I hope to lead you there by presenting a wide range of scientific experiments, findings, and anecdotes that are in many cases quite amusing. Once you see how systematic certain mistakes are—how we repeat them again and again—I think you will begin to learn"
"Acrophobia Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share both similar causes and options for treatment. Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, known as the fear of falling. On the other hand, those who have little fear of such exposure are said to have a head for heights. A head for heights is advantageous for those hiking or climbing in mountainous terrain and also in certain jobs e.g."
"Scopophobia Scopophobia, scoptophobia, or ophthalmophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a morbid fear of being seen or stared at by others. The term ""scopophobia"" comes from the Greek σκοπέω ""skopeō"", ""look to, examine"", and φόβος ""phobos"", ""fear"". ""Ophthalmophobia"" comes from the Greek ὀφθαλμός ""ophthalmos"", ""eye"". Phobias have a long history. The concept of social phobias was referred to as long ago as 400 B.C. One of the first references to scopophobia was by Hippocrates who commented on an overly-shy individual, explaining that such a person ""loves darkness as light"" and ""thinks every man observes him.” The term ""social phobia"""
"Phobophobia Phobophobia is the fear of phobia(s) and, more specifically, of the internal sensations associated with that phobia and anxiety, which binds it closely to other anxiety disorders, especially with generalized anxiety disorders (free floating fears) and panic attacks. It is a condition in which anxiety disorders are maintained in an extended way, which combined with the psychological fear generated by phobophobia of encountering the feared phobia would ultimately lead to the intensifying of the effects of the feared phobia that the patient might have developed, such as agoraphobia, and specially with it, and making them susceptible to having an"
"Hodophobia Hodophobia is an irrational fear, or phobia, of travel. Hodophobia is also referred to as travel phobia or fear of travel. Hodophobia should not to be confused with travel aversion. Acute anxiety provoked by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication. The condition can be treated with exposure therapy, which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. Hodophobia is a specific phobia as classified in the DSM-5. People with fear of traveling experience intense, persistent fear or anxiety when they think about traveling and/or during travel. They will avoid travel if they can, and the fear, anxiety, and"
"Specific phobia A specific phobia is any kind of anxiety disorder that amounts to an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations. As a result, the affected person tends to avoid contact with the objects or situations and, in severe cases, any mention or depiction of them. The fear can, in fact, be disabling to their daily lives. The fear or anxiety may be triggered both by the presence and the anticipation of the specific object or situation. A person who encounters that of which they are phobic will often show signs of fear or"
"Ergophobia Ergophobia, ergasiophobia or ponophobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of work (manual labor, non-manual labour, etc.) or fear of finding employment. It may be a form of social phobia or performance anxiety. People with ergophobia experience undue anxiety about the workplace environment even though they realize their fear is irrational. Their fear may actually be a combination of fears, such as fear of failing at assigned tasks, speaking before groups at work (both of which are types of performance anxiety), socializing with co-workers (a type of social phobia), and other fears of emotional, psychological and/or physiological injuries. The"
"Ophidiophobia Ophidiophobia or ophiophobia is a particular type of specific phobia, the abnormal fear of snakes. It is sometimes called by a more general term, herpetophobia, fear of reptiles. The word comes from the Greek words ""ophis"" (), snake, and ""phobia"" () meaning fear. About a third of adult humans are ophidiophobic, making this the most common reported phobia. A 2001 study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden suggested that mammals may have an innate negative reaction to snakes (and spiders), which was vital for their survival as it allowed such dangerous threats to be identified immediately. A 2009 report"
"per se, but rather internal dreadful sensations similar to psychological symptoms of panic attacks. The psychological state of the mind creates an anxious response that has itself a conditioned stimuli leading to further anxiety, resulting in a vicious cycle. Phobophobia is a fear experienced before actually experiencing the fear of the feared phobias its somatic sensations that precede it, which is preceded by generalized anxiety disorders and can generate panic attacks. Like all the phobias, the patients avoids the feared phobia in order to avoid the fear of it. The word ""phobophobia"" is an English adaptation of the Greek φόβος,"
"with the suffix -phobia are used non-clinically to imply irrational fears. Examples include: Usually these kinds of ""phobias"" are described as fear, dislike, disapproval, prejudice, hatred, discrimination or hostility towards the object of the ""phobia"". Phobia A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. The phobia typically results in a rapid onset of fear and is present for more than six months. The affected person goes to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the feared object"
"Aquaphobia Aquaphobia or waterfright is a persistent and abnormal fear of water. Aquaphobia is a specific phobia that involves a level of fear of water that is beyond the patient's control or that may interfere with daily life. People suffer aquaphobia in many ways and may experience it even though they realize the water in an ocean, a river, or even a bathtub poses no imminent threat. They may avoid such activities as boating and swimming, or they may avoid swimming in the deep ocean despite having mastered basic swimming skills. This anxiety commonly extends to getting wet or splashed"
"Fear of falling The fear of falling (FOF), also referred to as basophobia (or basiphobia), is a natural fear and is typical of most humans and mammals, in varying degrees of extremity. It differs from acrophobia (the fear of heights), although the two fears are closely related. The fear of falling encompasses the anxieties accompanying the sensation and the possibly dangerous effects of falling, as opposed to the heights themselves. Those who have little fear of falling may be said to have a head for heights. Basophobia is sometimes associated with astasia-abasia, the fear of walking/standing erect. Studies done by"
"intrusive worries about whether they have made the wrong decision, or forgotten to do something, for example turn off the gas or lock the house. In obsessive-compulsive disorder, the individual experiences obsessions with or without compulsions (a sense of having to carry out certain ritualized and senseless actions against their wishes). A phobia is ""a dread of an object or situation that does not in reality pose any threat"", and is distinct from a delusion in that the patient is aware that the fear is irrational. A phobia is usually highly specific to certain situations and will usually be reported"
"going to sports games, or going to the mall. Ochlophobia Ochlophobia (""Fear of Crowds"") and demophobia (""Fear of Unruly Mobs"") are terms for types of social phobia or social anxiety disorder whose sufferers have a fear of crowds. Sufferers may offer various rationalizations of the phobia, such as the fear being trampled in a crowd, getting a deadly disease from people within the crowd, getting lost in the crowd, or feeling insignificant when surrounded by a crowd. People who are shy and introverted are most likely to experience ochlophobia, but not all introverts have anxiety problems. Ochlophobic people are often"
"Zoophobia Zoophobia or animal phobia is a class of specific phobias to particular animals, or an irrational fear or even simply dislike of any non-human animals. Examples of specific zoophobias would be entomophobias, such as that of bees (apiphobia). Fears of spiders (arachnophobia), birds (ornithophobia) and snakes (ophidiophobia) are also common. See the article at -phobia for the list of various phobias. Sigmund Freud mentioned that an animal phobia is one of the most frequent psychoneurotic diseases among children. Zoophobia is not the sensible fear of dangerous or threatening animals, such as wild dogs (example: wolves, dingoes, and coyotes), big"
"objects or situations. Phobias can be divided into specific phobias, social phobia, and agoraphobia. Types of specific phobias include those to certain animals, natural environment situations, blood or injury, and specific situations. The most common are fear of spiders, fear of snakes, and fear of heights. Occasionally they are triggered by a negative experience with the object or situation. Social phobia is when the situation is feared as the person is worried about others judging them. Agoraphobia is when fear of a situation occurs because it is felt that escape would not be possible. It is recommended that specific phobias"
"Phagophobia Phagophobia is a psychogenic dysphagia, a fear of swallowing. It is expressed in various swallowing complaints without any apparent physical reason detectable by physical inspection and laboratory analyses. An obsolete term for this condition is choking phobia, but it was suggested that the latter term is confusing and it is necessary to distinguish the fear of swallowing (i.e., of the propulsion of bolus) from fear of choking. Phagophobia is classified as a specific phobia and according to DSM-IV classification it belongs to the category of ""other phobias"". Phagophobia may lead to (and be confused with) fear of eating, and"
"term ""ergophobia"" comes from the Greek ""ergon"" (work) and ""phobos"" (fear). A phobia is a psychological condition in which an individual has a persisting fear of situations or objects, disproportionate to the threat they actually pose. Once the fearful individual encounters the situation or object of their phobia, the emotional, cognitive and physical reaction is almost immediate. This condition creates immense distress that stems from the need to constantly be alert and to be able to avoid the triggering source of the phobia. Phobias can be specific to a certain stimulus or general to social situations. The most effective treatment"
"Hoplophobia Hoplophobia is a political neologism coined by retired American military officer Jeff Cooper as a pejorative to describe an ""irrational aversion to weapons."" It is also used to describe the ""fear of firearms"" or the ""fear of armed citizens."" Hoplophobia is listed simply as a phobia in some medical dictionaries as a fear of weapons or firearms. American firearms expert and retired Marine colonel Jeff Cooper coined the word in 1962 to denigrate and anger proponents of gun control by implying that their thoughts were ""aberrant"" and unreasoning: I coined the term ""hoplophobia"" in 1962 in response to a"
"cause some claustrophobia to fear trivial matters such as sitting in a barber's chair or waiting in a queue at a shop simply out of a fear of confinement to a single space. Another possible site for claustrophobic attacks is a dentist's chair, particularly during dental surgery; in that scenario, the fear is not of pain, but of being confined. Often, when confined to an area. claustrophobics begin to fear suffocation, believing that there may be a lack of air in the area to which they are confined. Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape, and being closed into"
"Phobia A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. The phobia typically results in a rapid onset of fear and is present for more than six months. The affected person goes to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the feared object or situation cannot be avoided, the affected person experiences significant distress. With blood or injury phobia, fainting may occur. Agoraphobia is often associated with panic attacks. Usually a person has phobias to a number of"
"anxiety affects over 7% of the population at any given time. Stretched over a lifetime, the percentage increases to 13%. Though scopophobia is a solitary disorder, many individuals with scopophobia also commonly experience other anxiety disorders. Scopophobia has been related to many other irrational fears and phobias. Specific phobias and syndromes that are similar to scopophobia include erythrophobia, the fear of blushing (which is found especially in young people), and an epileptic's fear that being looked which may itself precipitate such an attack. Scopophobia is also commonly associated with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. It is not considered indicative of"
"Sexophobia Sexophobia is the fear of sexual organs or sexual activities and, in a larger sense, the fear of sexuality. As such, it can be applied to the attitude of a person based on his or her educational background, personal experience and psyche, or to the general position of collective entities like religious groups, institutions or states. Sexophobia in clinical talk has an effect on the way patients speak to their doctors, as it manifests itself in the communication strategies that are employed to speak about private health problems. In that sense, the use of neutral and veiled vocabulary by"
"Ochlophobia Ochlophobia (""Fear of Crowds"") and demophobia (""Fear of Unruly Mobs"") are terms for types of social phobia or social anxiety disorder whose sufferers have a fear of crowds. Sufferers may offer various rationalizations of the phobia, such as the fear being trampled in a crowd, getting a deadly disease from people within the crowd, getting lost in the crowd, or feeling insignificant when surrounded by a crowd. People who are shy and introverted are most likely to experience ochlophobia, but not all introverts have anxiety problems. Ochlophobic people are often unable to handle situations involving parties, going to theaters,"
"learning to fear something by getting information. For instance, fearing electrical wire after having heard that touching it causes an electric shock. A conditioned fear response to an object or situation is not always a phobia. To meet the criteria for a phobia there must also be symptoms of impairment and avoidance. Impairment is defined as being unable to complete routine tasks whether occupational, academic or social. In acrophobia an impairment of occupation could result from not taking a job solely because of its location at the top floor of a building, or socially not participating in a social event"
"Gephyrophobia Gephyrophobia is the anxiety disorder or specific phobia characterized by the fear of bridges. As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid routes that will take them over bridges. Some possible explanations of gephyrophobia may be the fear of driving off the bridge, the fear of a gust of wind blowing one off the bridge, or the fear that the bridge will collapse if they try to cross it (a fear that the bridge lacks structural integrity). The fear overlaps with acrophobia, the fear of heights, as gephyrophobia tends to be exacerbated in tall bridges vs. ones close to"
"Arachnophobia Arachnophobia is the unreasonable fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. Treatment is typically by exposure therapy, where the person is presented with pictures of spiders or the spiders themselves. People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs. If arachnophobics see a spider, they may not enter the general vicinity until they have overcome the panic attack that is often associated with their phobia. Some people scream, cry, have emotional outbursts, experience trouble breathing, sweat, have heart palpitations, or"
"four categories: animal type, natural environment type, situational type, blood-injection-injury type. 2. Agoraphobia: a generalized fear of leaving home or a small familiar 'safe' area, and of possible panic attacks that might follow. It may also be caused by various specific phobias such as fear of open spaces, social embarrassment (social agoraphobia), fear of contamination (fear of germs, possibly complicated by obsessive-compulsive disorder) or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) related to a trauma that occurred out of doors. 3. Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, is when the situation is feared as the person is worried about others"
"Algophobia Algophobia is a phobia of pain - an abnormal and persistent fear of pain that is far more powerful than that of a normal person. Algophobia is much more common in elderly people. It can be treated with behavioral therapy and anti-anxiety medication. The term comes from the , ""álgos"", ""pain"" and , ""phóbos"", ""fear"". According to Sabino Metta, a behavioral psychologist, the phobic reaction is a learned behavior. A common example of this would be an elderly person who hears about all of their friends suffering from various ailments and pains. This person will begin to anticipate the"
"Cooper as tongue-in-cheek to mock those who think guns have free will. Hoplophobia Hoplophobia is a political neologism coined by retired American military officer Jeff Cooper as a pejorative to describe an ""irrational aversion to weapons."" It is also used to describe the ""fear of firearms"" or the ""fear of armed citizens."" Hoplophobia is listed simply as a phobia in some medical dictionaries as a fear of weapons or firearms. American firearms expert and retired Marine colonel Jeff Cooper coined the word in 1962 to denigrate and anger proponents of gun control by implying that their thoughts were ""aberrant"" and"
"Pyrophobia Pyrophobia is a fear of fire, which can be considered irrational if beyond what is considered normal. This phobia is ancient and primordial, perhaps since mankind's discovery of fire. The most common cause of pyrophobia is that fire poses a potential danger, such as house fire, wildfire, and getting caught on fire. Some people who are intensely pyrophobic cannot even get close to or tolerate even a small controlled fire, such as fireplace, bonfire or lit candle. In many cases a bad childhood experience with fire may have triggered the condition. If a pyrophobe sees fire, the person may"
"Tokophobia Tokophobia is a significant fear of childbirth. It is the most common reason why some women request an elective cesarean section. The fear often includes fear of injury to the baby, genital tract, or death. Treatment may occur via counselling. It is a type of specific phobia. In 2000, an article published in the ""British Journal of Psychiatry"" described the fear of childbirth as a psychological disorder that has received little attention and may be overlooked. Phobia of childbirth, as with any phobia, can manifest through a number of symptoms including nightmares, difficulty in concentrating on work or family"
"cats, bears or venomous snakes. It is a phobia of animals that causes distress or dysfunction in the individual's everyday life. Zoophobia Zoophobia or animal phobia is a class of specific phobias to particular animals, or an irrational fear or even simply dislike of any non-human animals. Examples of specific zoophobias would be entomophobias, such as that of bees (apiphobia). Fears of spiders (arachnophobia), birds (ornithophobia) and snakes (ophidiophobia) are also common. See the article at -phobia for the list of various phobias. Sigmund Freud mentioned that an animal phobia is one of the most frequent psychoneurotic diseases among children."