We are all afraid of something, aren’t we? Personally, I constantly worry about my trousers falling down in a public place. Even that isn’t so bizarre compared to the world’s strangest phobias around.

Lleguminophobia – Fear of Baked Beans

The guy in the photo is called Rob Griffiths. He has a secret to confess. He is scared of tinned baked beans. This sensitive chap wasn’t just unlucky in this respect. Oh no, he was doubly cursed. He ended up getting a job as a chef. This meant that he sometimes had to heat up the hideous “orange devils” as he calls them. Thankfully, there was a happy ending. He quit his job and now cleans windows for a living.

Coulrophobia – Fear of Clowns

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the fear of clowns is that it isn’t as uncommon as you might think. Among the celebrity sufferers of this weird phobia is Johnny Depp. So, it’s ok to inflict a guy with scissors for hands and a headless horseman on the world, but a cheerful guy with a painted smile is something to be afraid of?

Selenophobia – Fear of the Moon

Are you afraid of the moon? If you are then you suffer from a strange phobia called selenophobia. If you suffer from shortness of breath, weakness of knees and intense sweating while looking at the moon, then you probably suffer from selenophobia.

Xanthophobia – Fear of the Colour Yellow

Yellow; it’s not a bad old colour, is it? Some would even call it mellow. Sure, it doesn’t have the same gripping image of purple, the cutting edge danger of red or the broad appeal of blue. But, it’s certainly not something to be afraid of.

Metrophobia – Fear of Poetry

It is time for me to make a confession; I find poetry insufferably boring. Why would anyone want to spend hours and hours of their life writing or reading this nonsense? However, I’m not sure if I’m physically afraid of it. Actually, if you sat me down with a bunch of stuff from Wordsworth or Shakespeare, then I might very well break out in a cold sweat.

Genuphobia – Fear of Knees

Aren’t knees just the scariest thing ever? If you answered yes to that question, then you probably suffer from the strange phobia known as genuphobia. Seriously dude, why are you so scared of knees? They’re only knobbly things that stop our legs from collapsing.

Papaphobia- Fear of the Pope

What’s the Pope ever done to harm you? I could maybe understand people having papaphobia in the days of religious persecution and the Spanish Inquisition. But, Pope Francis isn’t really likely to harm you, is he?

Geniophobia – Fear of Chins

Can you imagine what life would be like if you had an intense and irrational fear of chins? Even shaving would become a dark and mysterious business that led to tears every time.

Ergophobia – Fear of Work

If you are a feckless, work-shy lay about, then don’t admit this to anyone. Especially don’t admit it to your boss. Instead, claim that you have ergophobia . You’ll get a lot of sympathetic looks and probably won’t even get fired.