Everyone's afraid of something. Whether it's bears or bats, public speaking or the dark, our fears betray an ancient, gut-level response that's hard to understand and even harder to address. This magazine dives into a dizzying array of morbidly entertaining fears and phobias, from common ones like acrophobia (fear of heights) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders) through odder entries like triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13), and we'll explore the sources of our fears, and our most promising treatments.
IS IT TIME TO PANIC YET? • FROM DARKNESS TO SPIDERS TO CLOWNS, THERE’S A WIDE WORLD OF DANGERS OUT THERE
ANIMAL FEARS • THINGS THAT CRAWL AND SLITHER, FLY AND CREEP, WITH SLITTED EYES AND CLAWS, FANGS, AND TENTACLES
CREEPY, CRAWLY CRITTERS • EIGHT LEGS? NO LEGS? SPIDERS AND SNAKES SEEM ENGINEERED SPECIFICALLY TO CREEP US OUT
THE SPIDER THAT EATS BIRDS • According to National Geographic the largest spider in the world is Theraphosa blondi, commonly known as the Goliath birdeater.
DEMON DOGS • FOR SOME, CUTE PUPPIES ARE JUST SHORT-HAIRED WOLVES THAT HAVEN’T ATTACKED YOU YET
CRAFTY CATS • TINY FANGS AND CUTE CLAWS…OR DANGEROUS WILD PREDATORS WHO LIVE IN YOUR HOUSE?
WHAT TO DO WHEN A DOG ATTACKS • It could happen on a hike in the woods, a stroll down a city street, or even a casual walk down to the mailbox—you find yourself confronted. Here’s what to do.
THINGS WITH WINGS AND STINGS • WHY FLYING CREATURES LIKE INSECTS AND BIRDS GET UNDER OUR SKIN
THE BIRDS! • In his horror movie classic The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock tapped into a primal phobia and created a bone-chilling, edge-of-your-seat thriller.
ANXIETY, FEAR, OR PHOBIA? • KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT’S GIVING YOU PAUSE CAN BE THE KEY TO GETTING THE HELP YOU NEED
SOCIAL FEARS • BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING SCARIER THAN THE BILLIONS OF HAIRLESS APES WHO LIVE AMONG US
SPEAKING IN PUBLIC • [TAP, TAP] IS THIS ON? THIS COMMON FEAR IS ONE MANY OF US HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO OVERCOME
A FEW PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS • Will the people with glossophobia please stand up? If you’re someone who dreads talking to a crowd, train your butterflies to fly in formation with some pro tips on effective public speaking.
FEAR OF STRANGERS • EVOLUTION GAVE US SKILLS TO HELP IDENTIFY RISKY PEOPLE. SOMETIMES THOSE SKILLS GO HAYWIRE.
FEAR OF CROWDS • FEARING STRANGERS IS BAD ENOUGH. BUT WHAT DO YOU DO IN A WORLD THAT’S POSITIVELY TEEMING WITH THEM?
FEAR OF GOING OUT • SOME ARE AFRAID TO LEAVE THE SAFETY OF THEIR HOME. THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC DIDN’T HELP
FEAR OF BEING ALONE • NOBODY LIKES BEING LONELY. BUT SOME WORRY THIS TEMPORARY STATE WILL BE THEIR FATE FOREVER
CELEBRITY PHOBIAS • You may be surprised to learn that some of your favorite celebrities suffer from common phobias.
WHY FEARS AND PHOBIAS HAPPEN • HOW OUR EVOLVED REACTIONS TO DANGER CAN TRANSFORM INTO LIFE-DISRUPTING CHALLENGES
FIVE WAYS TO HELP KIDS FACE THEIR FEARS • They’re afraid of monsters. They’re afraid of the dark. They’re afraid of monsters in the dark. Having fears in childhood is perfectly natural, but you can help your child through them.
SITUATIONAL FEARS • FALLING, FLYING, DROWNING, AND THE DARK: WHEN WE DESPERATELY WISH WE WERE ANYWHERE ELSE
FEAR OF HEIGHTS • THIS COMMON TERROR KEEPS SUFFERERS OFF THE ROOF, AWAY FROM BALCONIES, AND LYING SAFELY ON THE GROUND
FEAR OF ENCLOSED SPACES • FOR SOME PEOPLE, CLAUSTROPHOBIA MAKES EVERY ELEVATOR RIDE FEEL LIKE A HOUSE OF HORRORS
THE WORLD CLOSING IN • “My face froze as I walked down the Jet Blue aisle,” begins Mort Laitner’s true-life short story Claustrophobia about how he conquered his fears.
FEAR OF THE DARK • THERE’S PERHAPS NO MORE PRIMAL...