What are your top five fears? | Open thread

A YouGov survey has identified the top five phobias of British people. Unsurprisingly they include heights, snakes and spiders. Tell us your worst fearsA YouGov survey of 2,000 people has ranked the things that British people are most afraid of. The survey asked people to rate a list of 13 phobias, and asked them to describe their fear levels for each one. Here were the top five things that terrified us:HeightsUnsurprisingly, a fear of heights tops the list. We're not a nation of skyscrapers and vertiginous mountains. Most of us would rather not look over the edge of the Grand Canyon or climb a unsteady pylon for the rush of it. And given that vertigo gives some people the urge to jump, a healthy fear of heights seems completely sensible to us.SnakesSince our rainy island doesn't welcome the deadliest types of snake, it's somewhat odd to see this phobia so high up on the list. We don't have to deal with the Black Mamba, a deadly snake which can move at speeds of over 12mph. Sure, you might see the odd grass snake or adder in the countryside, but you're unlikely to meet a boa constrictor on a cool spring night as you pop down to the pub. So why the fear?A fear of public speakingThis one is understandable. Gazing out on a sea of expectant faces would give anyone sweaty palms. There is an entire industry devoted to helping people who cannot face speaking publicly, so we won't try to give you too much advice. But have you tried imagining the crowd naked?A fear of spidersAs with s...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Tags: Comment Psychology theguardian.com UK news Science Comment is free Source Type: news