What Is The Fear Of Long Words

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It'south possible to develop a phobia of virtually annihilation, no thing how innocuous it might actually be. The fear of long words is certainly uncommon, but its rarity does not change how devastating information technology tin can be for those who endure from it. The common proper name for this fear, however, is a bit sarcastic in nature.

The Root of the Proper noun for the Fear of Long Words

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is probably taken from the root word sesquipedalian, which means "long discussion." Therefore, sesquipedalophobia is technically more than right.

But somewhere forth the line, someone added references to the hippopotamus and monsters to make the give-and-take audio even more than intimidating. How ironic that the name for the fearfulness of long words is itself 35 letters long.

This phobia is highly personalized. Some people are afraid of long, multisyllabic words, while others have a fear of obscure words. Some fright fifty-fifty moderate-length common words.

Effects

Similar all phobias, the fear of long words can have a very existent impact on a person's daily functioning and quality of life. A college professor who is constantly exposed to lengthy words might accept serious difficulties at work. Someone whose job doesn't betrayal them to such words may experience no serious furnishings at all.

The fearfulness of long words can have a crippling consequence on immature people. Some experience feet in the classroom that can lead to social phobias, isolation, and depression. As they caput towards machismo, they may choose career paths that crave less exposure to lengthy words, cutting short a lot of opportunities.

Symptoms

While many phobias lead to such external symptoms as shaking, freezing in place, or sweating, the symptoms of the fearfulness of long words may be more subtle.

If you have this phobia, you lot might mentally lock upwardly when confronted with particularly long words. Yous may limit your speaking and writing and simply brush off textbooks and scholarly works by maxim, "that author is too pretentious," or "I never did accept a caput for science."

Children might develop school-related phobias or appear to simply lose interest in schoolhouse. Rebellious behavior, "forgetting" homework assignments, and speaking with an extremely limited vocabulary are possible symptoms.

Since the fear of long words is rare and the symptoms can mirror those of then many other weather condition, it's vital to seek advice from a trained mental wellness professional for whatever symptoms that begin to bear on your life.

Related Phobias

The fear of long words may exist related to other fears of reading or writing. Bibliophobia, or the fear of books, could be aggravated or caused by the fear of long words. Mythophobia, or the fearfulness of legends, could in office exist caused by the fright of lengthy, unfamiliar passages, particularly in older legends.

A relatively common related fear is metrophobia or the fearfulness of poetry. Past its nature, poesy frequently contains unfamiliar words and unusual phrasing that can strike fear in those predisposed to discomfort with long words.

Managing the Fright of Long Words

For many people, the fright of long words is mild. If your phobia doesn't significantly touch on your life, making a conscious endeavor to expand your vocabulary tin help. Expect for opportunities to larn new words through reading or everyday chat. If you lot come beyond an unfamiliar word, wait information technology upwards. In many cases, familiarity tin can ease the symptoms of feet.

If your symptoms are more serious and are impacting your daily life, professional assistance may be needed. A mental health professional can help yous piece of work through your fears and provide coping strategies for managing your symptoms during the treatment procedure.

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American Psychiatric Clan.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC; 2013.