Fear of the unknown
The most common fear that the average person experiences is a fear of the unknown. Humans are wired to be apprehensive about situations where the outcome is uncertain or unpredictable. This instinctive fear protects us from potential threats or danger. However, it can also cause excessive anxiety when taken to an extreme. The average person may experience anxiety about how their life will unfold, what the future has in store for them, or apprehension about changes happening around them that are out of their control. This innate fear of the unknown is present in most people to some degree.
Fear of failure
Many average people are held back in life by a fear of failure. This can apply to a fear of failing exams, not getting a job promotion, letting people down, or any scenario where the person fears they will fall short of expectations. Fear of failure is closely linked to fear of embarrassment or humiliation. The average person worries what others will think of them if they fail a task, which creates performance anxiety. Perfectionists are especially prone to fearing failure, as even small mistakes are seen as catastrophic in their minds. For some, fear of failure reaches a level where it becomes debilitating. Counseling or coaching to overcome this common fear can greatly improve quality of life.
Fear of rejection
Human beings have an innate need to feel accepted and valued by others. We are social creatures. As such, many average people fear being rejected or abandoned by those close to them. They may avoid taking interpersonal risks or making themselves vulnerable out of fear of being rejected. Romantic rejection is especially feared. But fear of rejection can permeate all kinds of relationships. At the root of this common fear is the intense pain caused when our need for love and belonging is denied. Building self-confidence and working through past relational hurts can help overcome fear of rejection.
Fear of the dentist
Going to the dentist provokes fear and anxiety in around 40% of average people. There are many reasons dentophobia is so prevalent. Painful experiences and the inherently invasive nature of dental procedures lead to associations between visiting the dentist and danger. Fear of needles, drills, and choking are common dental phobias. Embarrassment about the appearance of one’s teeth or fear of negative judgments can also cause dental anxiety. While not inherently life-threatening, avoiding the dentist due to fear can lead to poorer oral health. Relaxation techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy are often used to treat dental phobia.
Fear of public speaking
Also known as glossophobia, fear of public speaking is thought to be the single most common phobia. The average person certainly feels some nervousness when faced with speaking or presenting in front of others. At its extreme, fear of public speaking can induce panic attacks and severe anxiety. Simply imagining having to give a speech can stir up fear for those afflicted. Fear of being judged, messing up, or showing visible signs of anxiety underlie this condition. Fear of public speaking sometimes lessens with age as self-confidence grows. Desensitization and practicing speeches are key to overcoming this fear.
Fear of flying
Around 1 in 5 average people feel anxious about air travel. Fear of plane crashes, claustrophobia, and loss of control when flying stir up fear for those with aviophobia. While flying is the safest mode of transport statistically, that knowledge does little to calm a nervous flyer. Other common flight fears include fear of terrorism, fear of heights, and fear of small spaces. Developing distraction techniques, meditation, and avoiding media hype around air disasters can help counter fear of flying. Gradual exposure to flights also lessens anxiety over time.
Fear of heights
Also known as acrophobia, fear of heights afflicts around 5% of average people. Those with extreme height phobia can experience terror from simply standing on a chair. Fear of falling, fear of losing control, and fear of physical harm feed this common phobia. Acrophobia can severely impact quality of life if avoiding heights limits activities or career options. Vertigo, imbalance, and vision issues may play a role too. Counseling, anti-anxiety medication, or immersion therapy can treat acrophobia. Starting with small steps, like looking out from a balcony, helps overcome height phobia.
Fear of deep water
Thalassophobia refers to fear of deep bodies of water, such as oceans. Around 6% of average people experience intense unease in deep water environments. Fear of sharks, sea creatures, and drowning underlie this water phobia. Fear of inability to breathe or swim to safety also stirs thalassophobia. Panic attacks, shaking, nausea may happen when confronted by deep water. Phobia of lakes, swimming pools, and other bodies of water are also common. Gradual exposure along with counseling provide the most effective treatment, as avoiding water significantly reduces quality of life.
Fear of intimacy
Allowing emotional closeness with a partner provokes fear in some average people. Fear of commitment, mistrust, or fear of engulfment may fuel intimacy phobia. Fearful avoidant attachment – wanting closeness yet avoiding it due to fear of rejection – is common. Some struggle to reconcile needs for independence and connection. Past betrayals, heartbreak, or abuse can also underlie a subconscious fear of intimacy. Until underlying issues are addressed, intimacy phobia sabotages relationships. Counseling which builds trust and communication slowly can help overcome this fear.
Fear of enclosed spaces
Claustrophobia, or fear of enclosed spaces, affects around 2-5% of average people. Small rooms, crowded places, MRI machines, and elevators can stir up fear or panic. Loss of escape routes and fear of suffocation underlie this common phobia. Panic attacks, raised heart rate, sweating, and need to immediately flee small spaces are symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps reframe thinking around enclosed spaces as safe rather than dangerous. Avoiding small spaces offers temporary relief but reinforces claustrophobic associations.
Fear of germs and contamination
Obsessive compulsive disorder manifesting as extreme fear of germs affects around 1-2% of average people. Excessive hand washing, sterilizing, and avoidance of perceived contaminants dominates life. Fear of illness, disease, or infecting loved ones drives these obsessive safety behaviors. Yet ritualistic efforts to eradicate germs provide only temporary relief from anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps reduce fear of contamination by reframingthoughts around risk and responsibility. Reducing compulsive habits around cleanliness retrains the brain to associate germs as safe.
Fear of sickness and death
While not to clinical phobia levels, many average people have moderate fears around serious illness, sickness, and death. Fear of cancer is very prevalent, with things like lumps or pains stirring up anxiety. Fear of dying young or leaving loved ones behind is also common. Fear of death can make us feel vulnerable and out of control. Pandemic fears around global viruses also leave many feeling on edge around contamination and sickness. Counseling, mindfulness, and perspective around death as a natural part of life can help reduce this common fear.
Fear of crime and violence
Being a victim of violence is a top fear for many average people. Women especially fear sexual assault and walking alone at night. Fear of mugging, carjacking, and home invasion also plague modern life. True crime media feeds such fears. While crime rates have fallen overall, perception of danger remains. Avoiding risky situations provides a sense of control. But living in realistic awareness, not hyper vigilance, is healthiest long-term. Self-defense, alarms, privacy hedges also help counter crime fear.
Fear of losing mental capability
Losing memory, focus, or mental capability is a top aging fear among average people. Dementia especially frightens those witnessing its effects on elderly loved ones. Fear of Alzheimer’s disease dominates, even in middle age. Testing memory through mental exercises provides temporary relief yet fuels underlying anxiety. Avoiding complex tasks like financial planning can occur. However, staying socially and mentally active actually helps prevent mental decline. Counseling, memory training, brain games, and perspective help alleviate this common fear.
Fear of natural disasters
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and fires stir up primal fears of calamity in many average people. Fear of helplessness in the face of natural disasters runs deep. Those in frequented zones especially fear property destruction and loss of life. Survival preparedness and emergency plans help counter disaster anxiety to an extent. Turning off media coverage also provides respite. However, excessive worrying about rare but catastrophic events should be addressed through counseling or perspective. Otherwise, quality of life significantly diminishes.
Fear of needles and injections
An extreme fear of needles affects around 10% of average people at levels requiring clinical intervention. Also known as trypanophobia, fear of needles impacts routine health care and quality of life. Fear of pain from needles underlies trypanophobia, along with associations of needles with sickness. Vasovagal syncope – fainting due to reduced heart rate/blood pressure – can also occur in those with severe needle phobia. Exposure therapy starting small, numbing creams, and distraction techniques can help overcome this common fear.
Fear of dogs
Cynophobia refers to an irrational and excessive fear of dogs. Around 3% of average people have clinical cynophobia, while many more have a general avoidance of dogs. Past traumatic experiences of dog attacks often underlie this phobia. Fear of being bitten or mauled feeds this learned response. Dogs with aggressive appearances especially trigger fear. Yet even friendly dogs incite anxiety through associations with uncertainty and injury. Gradually building positive experiences with calm, controlled dogs can help cynophobia suffers overcome this limiting phobia.
Fear of driving
An intense fear of driving a vehicle affects around 8% of average people. Also known as amaxophobia, fear of driving inhibits independence and freedom of movement. Fear of accidents is the number one underlying cause. Fear of losing control of the vehicle, fear of other drivers, and performance anxiety also feed this phobia. Starting lessons in low risk environments combined with cognitive behavioral therapy and anxiety medication help treat driving phobia. Fear of driving commonly lessens with age and experience. But excessive avoidance sabotages driving confidence and ability.
Fear of crowds
Around 2.5% of average people have crowd phobia, with a much larger percentage disliking crowded spaces. Agoraphobia – fear of leaving home and entering public places – is related. Fear of being trapped, loss of control, and inabilities to escape underlie these phobias. Panic attacks and avoidance of crowds, queues, and public transit often occur. Paradoxically, staying home also increases anxiety around leaving home, reinforcing the phobia. Professional treatment like systematic desensitization and cognitive restructuring alleviates crowd/agoraphobia.
| Common Phobia | Prevalence |
|---|---|
| Fear of public speaking | 75% |
| Fear of heights | 5% |
| Fear of enclosed spaces | 2-5% |
| Fear of flying | 20% |
| Fear of needles | 10% |
| Fear of dogs | 3% |
| Fear of insects | 5-15% |
| Fear of sickness | 7% |
| Fear of natural disasters | 6% |
Social Anxiety Disorder
Around 12% of average people suffer from social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. This debilitating condition is more than shyness. It involves intense fear around social interactions and situations. Fear of embarrassment, negative evaluation, and humiliation underlie social phobia. Physical symptoms like racing heart, shaking, and nausea often occur in social settings. Avoidance of work functions, parties, and many everyday tasks results. Social anxiety varies in severity but greatly inhibits relationships and overall quality of life without treatment. Counseling, medication, exposure techniques, and coping strategies help overcome this widespread anxiety disorder.
Specific Phobias
Specific phobias involve intense, irrational fear around particular objects, places, or situations. Phobias of snakes, spiders, blood, and other specific things affect around 9% of average people at clinical levels. Panic, avoidance, shaking, and distress occur when confronted by the phobic stimulus. Specific phobias differ from general anxiety as fear is only triggered in the presence of the particular feared object or situation. Targeted counseling, exposure therapy, anxiety medication, and breathing techniques help treat specific phobias. But avoidance prevents recovery, so professional support is key.
Panic Attacks
Around 5% of average people will experience panic attacks during their lifetime. These episodes of sudden terror strike without warning. Racing heart, choking sensations, dizziness, trembling, and feeling of losing control characterize panic attacks. Fear of dying, going crazy, losing control, or having a heart attack often occur during attacks. Panic attacks typically peak within 10 minutes. While not inherently dangerous, panic attacks significantly impact quality of life. Combination therapy with medications, therapy, and relaxation techniques helps reduce panic attack frequency. Avoiding triggers also helps minimize attacks.
Generalized Anxiety
Generalized anxiety disorder affects around 5% of average people at clinically concerning levels. But worry and rumination are near universal experiences. Excessive worrying about health, money, family, work, current events and more define generalized anxiety. Physical symptoms like muscle tension, headaches, irritability, and sleep disturbances often occur too. Anxiety impairs daily function and happiness. Therapy, lifestyle changes, perspective shifts, and sometimes medication help counter unhealthy worrying. Mindfulness practices aimed at staying present and letting thoughts pass help greatly.
Traumas and PTSD
Post traumatic stress disorder affects around 6.8% of average people during their lives. Witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event like combat, rape, natural disasters, assault, accidents or abuse can result in PTSD. Persistent vivid memories, flashbacks, emotional numbness, and hypervigilance characterize PTSD. Avoidance of traumatic reminders, outbursts, and anxiety disrupt life. EMDR therapy, counseling, group support, and medication help people recover from traumatic events over time. Skills for managing distress, communicating needs, and recognizing triggers also helps counter trauma-related fear.
What helps counter fear?
While some degree of fear and anxiety is normal, excessive, irrational fears can severely reduce quality of life. Professional therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure techniques, EMDR, and medication provide needed support for phobia and trauma survivors. But lifestyle habits also help build resilience and peace of mind:
- Daily mindfulness or meditation practice
- Regular exercise and spending time in nature
- Avoiding anxiety-inducing media andnews
- Building social connections and community
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet
- Developing spiritual practices or values
- Learning coping strategies like deep breathing
- Cultivating gratitude and positivity
Overcoming deep-seated fears takes time and courage. But human beings have an incredible capacity to heal and grow stronger even after trauma. With the right professional support and lifestyle habits, even the average person can move through phobias and PTSD towards health and wholeness.
Conclusion
Fear and anxiety affect almost everyone to some degree. But phobias and trauma-related anxiety sabotage life for millions of average people. While prevalent, help exists in the form of therapy, medication, community support, and healthy lifestyle habits. By facing fears incrementally, learning coping strategies, reframing thoughts, and seeking meaning from suffering, a life free from paralyzing fear is possible. The journey requires patience, courage and knowing you are not alone. For in the words of FDR: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
