Michiganders have an irrational fear of holes, study says

Clowns. Snakes. Flying. 

Did the hair on the back of your head suddenly stand up? Did you get a chill up your spine?

Chances are it did. Mine did. 

These fears tend to be conjured up around this time of year. Halloween is only a few weeks away and the annual holiday brings out what we fear most. 

But what do we fear most? Are those fears rational? What irrational fears are plaguing the nation? Or Michigan for that matter?

Phobia is an ancient Greek word meaning morbid fear. It's “an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation” (thanks, Merriam-Webster). The dictionary also says it's an “intolerance or aversion for,” which may explain why someone with a phobia often experiences disgust and fear in equal measure. 

The safety experts at YourLocalSecurity.com did the work and discovered America’s most-searched phobias. They analyzed internet searches for nearly 40 different “fear of” terms, focusing on the top 15. They gathered Google Trends data from August 2018 to August 2019 to determine the top phobia in each state.

Here's what they discovered:

• Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from its underwater base. This looming volcano might contribute to Hawaiians’ acrophobia, or fear of heights. 
• According to the 2017 American Community Survey, only 28.5% of Washington, D.C., residents have tied the knot — the lowest percentage in the country. Perhaps their gamophobia — or fear of commitment — plays a role.
• Texans have plenty of reason to feel some snake fears. The Lone Star State has more snake species than any other state except Arizona.
• Residents in Iowa, Utah, and West Virginia searched most for fear of clowns, or Coulrophobia. Perhaps Pennywise in "IT Chapter Two" contributes to an uptick in aversion to these face-painted comedians.

And Michigan's is … trypophobia: the fear of holes. Given we are the unofficial pothole capital of the nation, this makes A LOT of sense. And let's not even mention Macomb County's sinkholes.

Trypophobia had the highest search volume of any term they analyzed, taking first place as this year’s most popular phobia. The fear of small clusters of holes seems to have skyrocketed in search popularity recently, perhaps thanks to media mentions everywhere from TV shows to iPhone descriptions to science articles.

And we aren't the only ones who have this fear. Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Carolina also fear holes.

Ohio strangely has a fear of blood (hemophobia). And Wisconsin has a fear of water (aquaphobia). Wisconsin may want to rethink trying to steal the Upper Peninsula then. After all, it's surrounded by water. 

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Contact Amy Huschka: ahuschka@freepress.com or follow her on Twitter (@aetmanshuschka).

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