Fear is a natural and primal human emotion experienced by everyone at some point in their lives. Fear arises as an adaptive response to perceived danger or threat, and can be essential for survival. However, for some people excessive or irrational fears can develop into phobias and anxiety disorders that cause significant distress and impairment. So how prevalent are fears and phobias in the general population? What are the most common fears that trouble people? And what factors influence the number of fears a person has? This article reviews research into the prevalence and types of fear in the general public to shed light on how many fears the average person has.
How Many Phobias Are There?
A specific phobia is defined as an excessive, irrational fear of a situation, activity, or object that poses little or no threat. Specific phobias affect approximately 7-9% of the population at some point during their lifetime. This includes common phobias like arachnophobia (fear of spiders), social phobia (fear of social situations), and agoraphobia (fear of open or crowded spaces).
The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists five main types of specific phobias:
- Animal phobias (fear of spiders, insects, dogs, snakes, etc.)
- Natural environment phobias (fear of storms, heights, water, etc.)
- Blood, injection, and injury phobias
- Situational phobias (fear of enclosed spaces, flying, elevators, etc.)
- Other phobias (fear of loud sounds, costumes, vomiting, etc.)
Within these categories there are a huge number of possible phobias. Researchers have estimated there are over 500 identifiable specific phobias. So the number of named phobias numbers in the hundreds.
How Many Fears Does the Average Person Have?
While around 7-9% of people have a diagnosable phobia, fears are far more prevalent in the general public. Fears exist on a spectrum from mild discomfort to complete incapacitation.
Many people have mild fears or aversions that do not significantly impact their lives. For example, a dislike of heights without accompanying vertigo or panic. So determining the number of fears in the general population depends on what level of fear is counted.
Research studies provide estimates on fear prevalence:
- A 2003 study found the average person reports a mild fear response to around 10 objects/situations, and a moderate to severe fear response to around 4 things.
- A 2011 study asked people if they experienced fear in relation to various animal or situational stimuli. The average number of fears reported was 7, with a range from 0 to 39.
- A meta-analysis of fear studies determined the average person experiences mild fear of 13.25 things, moderate fear of 8.81 things, and severe fear of 2.09 things.
So based on these studies, the average person experiences some level of fear or aversion to 7-14 things. About 4-9 of these fears are rated as causing moderate to severe unease.
What Are the Most Common Fears?
While fears can be highly specific and individual, research has identified some of the most prevalent fears experienced in the general population:
Most Common Fears
| Fear | Percent Reporting |
|---|---|
| Fear of spiders | 30.5% |
| Fear of snakes | 27.2% |
| Fear of heights | 23.3% |
| Fear of being enclosed in small spaces | 17.7% |
| Fear of mice | 15.2% |
| Fear of flying | 12.5% |
| Fear of storms | 12.0% |
| Fear of the dark | 11.3% |
| Social fear of public speaking | 10.9% |
| Fear of insects and bugs | 8.7% |
Animal fears such as spiders, snakes, mice and insects are very common. Fear of heights, enclosed spaces and flying also make the top ten list. Social fears like public speaking and a general fear of the dark are also prevalent.
Studies of clinical phobias reveal similar top fears. The most common phobias are:
- Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)
- Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes)
- Acrophobia (fear of heights)
- Aquaphobia (fear of water/drowning)
- Aerophobia (fear of flying)
- Cynophobia (fear of dogs)
- Astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning)
- Trypanophobia (fear of injections)
- Social phobia (fear of social situations)
- Agoraphobia (fear of open/crowded spaces)
So both clinical and non-clinical research indicates animal fears, fears of injury, and social fears are very common in the general public.
Factors That Influence Number of Fears
The number and type of fears a person experiences can be influenced by several factors:
Gender
Research consistently shows that women report a greater number of fears compared to men. Women report an average of 7.5 fears versus 4.5 for men. Social fears in particular are more common among women. This gender difference may be partly due to social conditioning and different social expectations for men versus women when expressing vulnerability.
Age
Younger people frequently report a greater number of mild to moderate fears compared to the elderly. As people age, the number of reported fears tends to decrease. For example, fear of the dark is very common in childhood but diminishes with age. Experiencing fears may help promote caution in childhood when people are vulnerable. But as defense mechanisms and coping abilities improve with age, fear prevalence declines in many domains.
Trait Anxiety
Individuals with higher trait anxiety exhibit a greater fear response and more perceived threats in their environment. Trait anxiety reflects the stable tendency to attend to, experience and report higher levels of anxiety in general. Those with elevated trait anxiety often have an increased number of fears both in terms of animals, situations and social circumstances.
Negative Experiences
Direct negative experiences with an object or situation is one of the biggest predictors of specific fears. People who have been scared or traumatized by an event involving something like dogs, injections, or heights are more likely to develop lasting phobias. Negative modeling can also play a role, such as observing others experience trauma.
Genetics
Twin studies suggest that genetic factors influence general susceptibility to fear and phobias. The heritability of phobias is estimated around 30-40%. Though not definitive, there does appear to be some genetic component to number of fears, if not their content.
So while prevalent fears share common themes like animals and social threats, the exact constellation of mild to severe fears a person experiences can be shaped by gender, age, genes, temperament, and unique experiences.
Conclusion
Fear is a universal emotion experienced to some degree by all people. Mild apprehension or dislike of potential threats are common, even for things that pose minimal danger objectively. Clinical research suggests the average person experiences mild discomfort or aversion to 7-14 objects or situations. Moderate to severe fears are rarer, with most people reporting 4-9 significant fears. While fears are diverse, some of the most prevalent involve animals, heights, enclosed spaces, social situations, and injury. The exact nature and number of fears a person reports can be influenced by gender, age, anxiety traits, negative experiences, and genetics. But ultimately, having some degree of fear toward potential threats, even unlikely ones, is a natural part of being human.
