Common phobias include spiders, heights and needles but the fear of holes terrifies Irish people the most, a study has found.
A toe-curling list created by Psychic World named the top 15 things that traumatise people.
A phobia is defined as something that people have an irrational fear of.
Read More: Crowded spaces, spiders and rain among Irish people's greatest fears, claims new survey
While trypophobia is number one, the fear of open spaces otherwise known as agoraphobia comes in at number two.
Trypophobia is the fear of holes, particularly those which are small and clustered together like the ones found in crumpets, sponges, or honeycomb.
This is followed by arachnophobia and acrophobia which is the fear of spiders and heights.
Psychic World’s Joyce Olsen told the Irish Mirror: “This study has shown us that there is a rising interest in phobias such as trypophobia.
“This specific fear centres around a phobia of small clusters of holes, and some scientists believe this could be due to a reflexive reaction to textures that mimic that of predators, such as a snake.
Phobias are more common than many think and with the rise of social media, the conversation is becoming wider and more varied.
“Every day we learn more about the human psyche and its infinite complexities, meaning more and more people are seeking comfort and relief from their fears and phobias.”
She added: “Anxiety and fear are a normal part of the human experience, but they can become a problem if your fears are impacting your day-to-day life.
“If you are worried you are suffering from a phobia or your life is being impacted by anxiety of any kind, we recommend that you seek professional medical advice.”
Other phobias which made it onto the list include cynophobia, mysophobia and thanatophobia which means the fear of dogs, germs, and death.
Fears of being alone, social situations, thunderstorms, snakes, flying and blood were all featured as well.
Researchers compiled an index of the most well known phobias before analysing Google search results to come up with the list.
Trypophobia had an average monthly search volume of 7,400 while agoraphobia was Googled 4,900 times.
Arachnophobia was Googled 800 times and Acrophobia was searched for 500 times while Claustrophobia was looked at 400 times.
Researchers added: “The most common phobia in Ireland is trypophobia, with an average search volume of 7,400 searches a month.
“Whether it’s crumpets, sponges or honeycomb, people with this phobia fear small holes, particularly when they appear in clusters.
With most people spending more time inside over the last couple of years, is it possible that there is now more anxiety surrounding going outdoors? This theory could be plausible, as agoraphobia is Ireland's second most common phobia, with 4,900 monthly searches on average.”
In Europe, the top phobias are trypophobia, agoraphobia, arachnophobia, acrophobia and claustrophobia.
Top five most common phobias in Ireland
- Trypophobia
- Agoraphobia
- Arachnophobia
- Acrophobia
- Claustrophobia
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