Gage Gongas – Mustangs Ahead
(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – Mustangs, like many people, have some type of fear. Some can be worse than others, but all influence an individual’s everyday life and actions.
According to ‘‘12 Common Types of Phobias’‘, the most common phobia is arachnophobia. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and affects roughly 30.5% of the US population.
LRHS junior Kendall Stanely has arachnophobia and said, “Spiders are my worst fear, I refuse to go near one or even kill it.”
Another common fear is acrophobia, the fear of heights. Around 2.5% of the US population has this fear and it can affect where they go and what activities they do. Some things such as going on rollercoasters, mountain climbing, and even flying are impossible for those with this fear.
Junior Mario Melgar said, “I hate heights, I refuse to climb anything or look over the edge of a tall building if I feel it is too high.”
Gloss phobia is another fear that affects a huge portion of the population. This is the fear of public speaking and 26% of the US population suffers from this phobia.
Not only does gloss phobia affect how an individual presents one’s self in a public situation, but this fear can affect a students’ grades when they are forced to present in a class for a grade.
This fear may also affect their social skills in how they communicate with others, and with how they meet new people.
Phobias can be inherited or learned.
LRHS Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology teacher Heather Selens said, “Research does indicate that phobias can be genetic (hereditary) but they can also be environmental.”
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