Brits have revealed their most bizarre fears – with buttons, balloons, and the colour yellow making the list.
Researchers who polled 2,000 adults to reveal the nation’s eclectic mix of phobias with trypophobia – the fear of small holes – and nlaiguphobia – the fear of tin openers both featuring.
Nomophobia – the fear of being without your mobile phone – is also a ‘popular’ phobia – as is arachibutyrophobia – the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
Heights, spiders, snakes and enclosed spaces topped the list of most common fears, along with dentists, ghosts and the dark.
It also emerged that 77 per cent of adults have a phobia of something – with 15 per cent admitting to having what might be considered an unusual fear.
A spokesperson for craft beer makers, Beavertown, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s no secret that fears like spiders and heights are common.
“But knowing that things like peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth and being without your phone top the UK’s list of fears really is revealing as to what we now find scary.
“And what better time to find out than Halloween?”
Other obscure phobias included the fear of belly buttons – omphalophobia, trees – dendrophobia, and the colour red – erythrophobia.
The study also identified some of the challenges of living with a fear, with 35 per cent worried their phobia makes them appear too weak to others.
Which might explain why 24 per cent of those with a phobia have attempted to keep it secret from loved ones.
For more than a third (36 per cent) it has also hindered their ability to socialise.
But 23 per cent have sought professional help to overcome a fear.
Carried out through OnePoll, the study found 30 per cent of adults consider the Halloween period to be the scariest time of the year.
A spokesperson for Beavertown added: “Halloween is our favourite time of the year.
“In fact, we’ve just released a new black lager, Flesh, to join our specials range for a limited time.”
COMMON FEARS IN THE UK
1. Heights
2. Spiders
3. Snakes
4. Enclosed spaces
5. Dentists
6. Ghosts
7. The Dark
8. Needles
9. Clowns
10. Flying
11. Blood
12. The devil
13. Water
14. Being home alone
15. Old houses
16. Birds
17. Small holes
18. Halloween
19. Being without your mobile phone
20. Aliens
21. Balloons
22. Large/ open spaces
23. Tin opener
24. Belly buttons
25. Numbers
26. The colour yellow
27. Buttons
28. Peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth
29. Trees
30. The colour red
