Americans’ Most Common Fears Include Snakes, Heights & More

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The Full Story:
Most everybody has a fear of something, whether it be heights, enclosed spaces, etc. But a new survey reveals which fears are the most common amongst Americans and you may, or may not, be surprised by the results.
A new YouGov survey finds:
Among a list of 30 possible fears, snakes came out as the most common fear amongst Americans.
Overall, 30% of Americans say they have a fear of snakes, followed by:
Heights (28%)

Spiders (24%)

Public speaking (23%)

Disease (21%)

Crowded spaces (17%)

Enclosed spaces (17%)

Only 16% of Americans say they have no fears at all. When asked how much they fear something, the list changes slightly. Those who fear snakes are the most likely to say they fear them “a great deal.” But coming in second are those who fear flying, with 57% say they fear it “a great deal.” When it comes to the list overall, only 9% of Americans say they have a fear of flying.
Others folks say they fear “a great deal” include:
Fire (54%)
Large bodies of water (53%)
Enclosed spaces (51%)
Spiders (51%)

But how do people feel about their fears?
Only 9% look at their fears as fully irrational. 21% say they are somewhat irrational. But 26% insist their fears are rational, and another 34% say they are somewhat rational. 34% of people who say their fears are irrational admit they interfere with their daily lives. But only 25% of people overall say their fears interfere with their daily life, while 70% say they do not.

Source: YouGov
Thought Starters…
Who are the 70% of Americans who don’t fear snakes?
What are your biggest fears? How do you deal with them? How big is this fear? Does it interfere with your daily life?
Have you ever gotten over one of your biggest fears? What was it and how did you do it?