Glossophobia - The Fear of Public Speaking

The fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears known to man.  It is estimatedthat nearly 75% of the population suffers from some form of speech anxiety.  The technical term for this fear is glossophobia which comes from two words, "glosso" meaning tongue, and "phobia" meaning fear.  The least technical term is stage fright. Given the statistics, more people are afraid of public speaking than dying.  Commedian Jerry Seinfeld once joked that at a funeral more people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy!

People suffering from glossophobia may experiance the following symptoms:

• Intense anxiety when in front of people or even at the thought of being in front of a crowd.
• Rapid heartbeat.
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Bodily shaking
• Weak or shaky voice

So where does this common phobia come from?  There are many theories, from such things as tramatic events, to undersocialization.  Of the two mentioned, undersocialization is a huge culprit.  Many times when children are sheilded from being in front of a crowd, they develope a fear of being in front of people later.  An example would be in singing.  Children who are give the chance to sing in front of people early in life generally have no difficulty later, while the opposite is also true.  Wen someone says, "I have never been able to sing in front of people." That is probably not true.  There was probably a time when they could have done so, but they did not try until they were much older.  Of course if someone experienced a traumatic event while singing or speaking in front of people, they might developthis phobia also.  Of course people are not animals, but the illustration of socializing dogs is relavant here.  Te experts say that if a dog is not socialized when in the first few months of its life, it will never be comfortable in the company of other people or animals.  It can of course be desensitized, but that is not the same as being socialized.  In the smae way, people with glossophobia may be able to be desensitized but that is not the same as being socialized at an early age.

Treatment for glossophobia ranges from psychotherapy, speech therapy, desensitazation, medication, and coaching.  There are many websites designed for public speakers which can help you to learn the tools necessary and to help you to overcome your anxiety.

Acrophobia - Fear of Heights

"I'm not afraid of heights.  It's falling from them the really bothers me!"  Statements such as this may get a laugh now and then, but if you are afraid of heights there is nothing funny about heights!

To some extent, all humans have a cautionary fear of heights.  Most are able to function normally, and many learn to enjoy activities that involve heights, such as skydiving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, flying, etc.  However, according to Wikipedia somewhere between 2 to 5% of the population suffer from acrophobia.  Interestingly this fear affects nearly twice as many women as men.  (This may explain why little boys love climbing trees and jumping of porch railings!)

There are many articles online outlining potential treatments acrophobia.  You can read them for yourself and be the judge of their effectiveness.

Treatments for acrophobia are numerous and include:

• Avoidance
• Psychotherapy
• Behavioral Therapy
• Medication

Only you and your doctor can decide the best course of action for dealing with this phobia.  It may help to remember that while many people have a fear of something, a phobia is an irrational fear.  In other words, the fear is not based in actual fact.  In many cases the phobia itself presents a greater hazard than the thing feared.  For example, someone in a high place who suffers from acrophobia, may place themselves in greater danger by panicking rather than remaining calm.  The irrational fear may cause them to lose their balance and be unable to listen to the instructions of those trying to help them.   

Even animals can suffer from this fear.  Watch the video below to see a dog afraid to walk across a footbridge!




So What Have We Learned?

Acrophobia is real. In spite of the many types of treatments, some people will never overcome their irrational fear of heights.  If you suffer from acrophobia, seek professional help before attempting to treat yourself.  While phobias may be irrational, they should not be ignored, especially due to the danger posed to the one affected. 

Ophidiophobia - The Fear of Snakes

It is reported that nearly one third of adults are ophidiophobic. So if you are in a group of more than three, chances are you are either that one, or someone close to you is that person! Comforting isn't it?
The fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias in the world, and it is no wonder! I mean...have you ever seen a snake? shudder
Here at F & P Explained we want to take a close look at these phobias and give you the information you need to evaluate the threat and decide for yourself if your fear is justified. So how about those snakes!
In the writing of this article we scoured numerous sources of information including websites looking for information. A list of links to some these will be provided at the end of this post.
Lets start with some cold hard facts.

• The types of venomous snakes in the US include rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths/water moccasins, and coral snakes.
• The largest number of bites occurs from the rattlesnake family.
• In the US every year and estimated 7000-8000 people are bitten by a venomous snake.
• Of this 7000-8000 snakebite victims approximately 0.2% are fatal, which means your chances of dying from snakebite are approximately 1/500. One of the sites I visited (The Department of Defense) listed the chances as 1/467, which is still pretty good!
• One interesting fact is that about 3000 cases of snakebite each year occur from the elbow to the hand, which means they likely occurred while someone was trying to handle or disturb the snake. Stop people from doing that and you lower the odds even more!
• More men are bitten than ladies, with the highest percentage of those bites occurring in males between the ages of 18-28 (go figure).
• North Carolina(my home State)has the highest percentage of reported snakebites: 19 bites per 1000 people as opposed to the national average of 4 bites per 1000.
• Copperheads and Cottonmouths make up approximately 35% of all snakebites in the US. The American Association of Poison Control Centers have not reported one death from these bites since they started issuing reports in 1983.
• Rattlesnake bites comprise nearly 3/4 of all venomous bites. There are an average of 5.5 deaths as a result of venomous snakebite each year in the US.( I don't know what half a death looks like, but that is the figure!) The majority of these are from Rattlesnake bites. Incidence of mortality is dramatically decreased with the administration of anti-venom.
• The greatest danger of death comes from the bite of the rattlesnake family. This is probably because their toxin is extremely potent and there are more species of rattlesnake in the US than any other venomous snake.

So What Have We Learned?

• There is a very low chance of death from a snake bite in the US.
• There is a 1/3 lower chance if you just leave the snake alone!
• Rattlesnakes are not your friends!
• Odds are that you will die of old age before you die of snakebite, or are even bitten by a venomous snake.
• With the current US population you have a .0025% chance of being bitten this year. Significantly less if you are not a male between the ages of 18-28!
• Essentially you have a 1 in 4 million chance of even being bitten and an unbelievably low chance of dying from snake bite any time soon!

So Is the Fear of Snakes Justified?

• Probably not, but that won't stop anyone! Snakes just have a way of striking fear into our hearts. Maybe its that whole garden of Eden thing. What do you think?

- Posted for Your Entertainment!

Sources among others:

American Academy of Family Physicians
Alabamaherps.com
The Center for Disease Control
Center for Disease Control

Where Fear Begins

It happens from an early age.  Fear.  Why do we fear?  Where does it come from?  How can we overcome it?  This is an age old question.

You go outside after dark.  You resist the age to sprint for the door, but you don't know why?  Fear of the dark is perhaps one of the most primal fears we have?  Flashlight sales may be successful in large part to this fear alone.

On this blog we will explore this fear, and many others.  We will examine the cultural influences that contribute to certain phobias.  We will look at statistic when available.  Overall, we will just have fun looking at the things we are afraid of.  There is nothing to fear here.  Come back often, subscribe, and join the expedition into your deepest fears and phobias.  If you have none of your own, then enjoy learning about the things others fear!  C'mon...what are you afraid of?