Monday, January 26, 2015

Deep Thoughts

What is your biggest phobia?

49 comments:

  1. Spiders, Bees, Heights, Mirrors (because Horror movies)

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  2. Long bridges over large bodies of water - I can do it, I just don't like it one bit.

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  3. My favourite ever episode of Maury was the phobia edition,if I wasn't such a dimwit I'd link the cotton wool balls man

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    1. I hate cotton wools with a passion, so much so my husband has to remove them from all the vitamin bottles. They give me the willies.

      Snakes on the other hand make me scared as hell.

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  4. Heights. Vertigo doesn't fucking help, either.

    Aw, guys, I like spiders. :)

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    1. Water. Terrified of water and because of it, never learned to swim.

      Fire.

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  5. Snakes.
    I HATE snakes. Creepy little fast snakesses
    I read somewhere (could not cite it for the life of me) that we are born with 2 fears, falling and loud noises. So I can completely get the (and I am afraid of) heights thing.

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    2. Bacon Ranch: This a common theory posited by all sorts of social scientists- namely those specializing in psych, anthro, and biosociology. Certain phobias (spiders, heights, snakes) are seen as being evolutionarily advantageous traits and some argue that they are innate-thus developing before birth (UC Davis does a lot of this research specifically).
      As George Carlin once brilliantly mused, the kid who eats the most marbles doesn't go on to have kids of their own.

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    3. Those would be some interesting discussions to read, Lady. Only because I am with the former of the 2, in that it seems to be intuitive traits. I would be curious to see the theories of it developing while in the womb, only because I can't really understand that, in that what would a fetus know of snakes? Very interesting indeed :) Thanks for that! (And the Adam love earlier)

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    4. Same here. Snakes are evil, and they must be destroyed.

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    5. Here is a general summary on the subject

      Specific researchers to look up if interested are Lynne Isabell (UCD), Harry Greene (Cornell) and Susan Mineka (Northwestern)

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    6. Thank you! I'll look her up after work :) <3

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    7. I read a study about innate and learned fear once, and certain phobias seem to be at least partially imprinted in our psyches, just ready to be activated. I don't like animal testing, but the study had worked with primate youth, and it was very easy to get them to be afraid of spiders and snakes, even ones that posed no threat, but almost impossible to get them to be afraid of flowers and rocks, even when the rocks could hurt them and the flowers could make them ill.

      For me, spiders; I'm cripplingly afraid of spiders. I can't even said the word out loud or see a photo of one without convulsing a little.

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    8. @WUWT: Yup- that's some of Mineka's research on non-human primate models

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  6. Replies
    1. I do not know how people scuba dive or go in a submarine (or spaceship). I have a phobia of not being able to breathe (and I'm claustrophobic). So a phobia of being deep under water or outer space. I know you can breathe in a sub or spaceship or with diving tanks but it's too far away from "real/naturally occurring " air. Nope!

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    2. I love to dive, and have no problem going 150 foot down. Heights though, are totally different -- real issues with those.

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    3. For me it's less about the claustrophobia,more to do with that "what kind of god forsaken creature with teeth is down there" fear

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    4. Oh yeah. Deep dark water is a complete nightmare to me. That movie - The Perfect Storm. Oh crap, those waves. And when Clooney was sinking under in the end and Markie Mark was utterly alone in those huge waves. Oh shoot me now please. Just too terrifying. Shuddering as I type.

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    5. I've been to 70metres on air and the reason I love it is because it is spacelike floating around down there, sounding like Darth Vader

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  7. 1. Water
    2. Death
    3. Maybe death by water...?? :-)

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  8. I am afraid of heights. My brother is a philosphy professor and his theory is that fear of heights is really an awareness that you have the freedom of making the choice to jump over the fence to your death. This could also be why I am also afraid of addiction, and fascinated by it. I am scared and fascinated by self-destruction (and feel much compassion for those who suffer from addiction).

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    1. I am not suicidal, but I have this overwhelming urge to do a beautiful swan dive whenever on a hotel balcony. I see myself practically floating through the air and while all that is nice enough, shouldn't I be worried about the end result? The urge is so strong sometimes that I have to hold onto something. I've only been on a ski lift a couple of times, but it was tough to stay in the seat.

      Weird.

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    2. ^^^^ 100%. I always wondered if something was wrong with me until I confessed to Mr. and he reassured me it was natural feeling for many people. I am most tempted to take the plunge when on top of a tall building, not with ski lifts.

      Sherri mentioned guns.
      I don't have a phobia to guns, but my skin cringe when near one. Now turns out Mr. Runs wants to have a collection of guns(which I had no idea he had those interests when we married, and the conversation didn't come up for 18 years!)
      I need to clear it up with him.

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  9. I don't mind spiders. I catch and release 'em.

    My biggest phobias are heights and small spaces.

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  10. Biggest phobias? The act or even thought of throwing up. Dont like heights either.

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    1. Min- it was the fever- chills- cough-no voice, gasping for air flu. Also fun, lol. But not belly flu.

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  11. Water, specifically oceans because of Jaws. Spiders freak me out a little, and snakes a little less. But a shark? Oh hell naw. That is one word that should be universal.

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  12. Aww Califblondy..You make me happy to hear that. I used to be afraid of spiders but not anymore. I just one day became fascinated by all bugs in general and I think spiders are pretty cool now. Not so much that I want to handle them but I will let them crawl into a cup and release them if they're stuck in the sink. Otherwise I just let them hang out in the house. They get the flies and other bugs so it's the wheel of life there. Most poisonous spiders are not aggressive save for the Redback. Black Widows want a nice quiet place and will run from you so we just observe the ones that live in the water heater shed.

    Snakes I love too. But then there aren't that many dangerous ones in North America either.

    Heights..Not a fan..MY biggest fear. Can barely stand on a step stool.
    Also terrified of guns. They make my skin crawl and I just hate them.
    Also afraid of nuclear war.

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  13. Heights and open back stairs. HATE those.

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  14. Heights. I start getting anxiety just being in the damn attic.

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  15. Heights, lightning, claustrophobia, and bees. Those little muthafuckers go after me like heat-seeking missiles. Even the passive ones like honey bees,

    And the worst, agoraphobia. It comes & goes, but there have been weeks when I can't go outside. Trust. It puts a real strain on a marriage & friendships..

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    1. Bluezz- i feel for you, i can also be agrophobic and have panic attacks. And no, friends and family dont understand, no matter how much you explain it isnt them, its you and u cant help it. Ugh!!!!'

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  16. Body parasites. There's even a frickin reality show about them & I can't even watch the commercials.

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  17. Small spaces, heights, being on a cable like zip-lining or riding in a cable car or elevator. I really struggle with things like going to the top of the Empire State Building but force myself to do it so I don't miss out on experiencing cool things.

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  18. Aliens. The thought that they can just show up one day terrifies me.

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  19. Being in a very confined space underground...like in a cave that gets smaller or something. I saw someone doing it on TV and started freaking out.

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    1. Everytime I watch Titanic, I have an anxiety attack when the ship starts going down. I'm terrified of drowning. Especially the people that get trapped below deck. Sometimes that makes me cry I get so stressed watching it. Those people that lay down on their bed to drown? No effing way. I'd be out there treading water until I froze. It didn't bother me that Leo died the way he did because his face was out of the water.

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  20. I also have a phobia of being eaten alive by a wild animal. A shark would probably be the worst because you're in the damn water and it's a toss up whether you die from the shark bite first, or you DROWN! Being eaten by a tiger is a phobia too. Don't ask me why a tiger, it just is. Spiders and snakes don't bother me one bit.

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  21. I cant believe i didnt mention claustrophobia and fear of enclosed places!! I wont even sit in a booth at a restrurant!!

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  22. No critter phobias, you wouldn't go anywhere here if you did.

    I don't like swaying suspension bridges of the rope kind. Gives me vertigo but all other heights are fine.

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