New Study Reveals What Illinoisans Are Most Afraid Of

Let's get started by asking you to think about yourself for a moment. Do you have any phobias? Up until this morning, I figured the percentage of Americans with phobias had to be around 50 percent...but it turns out I was way off on my guess.

It Turns Out That Not As Many People Have Phobias As You Might Think

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines phobia as "an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Although adults with phobias may realize that these fears are irrational, even thinking about facing the feared object or situation brings on severe anxiety symptoms."

However, NIMH goes on to say that only 9.1% of the population actually have some sort of phobia. Of all the phobias (and there are plenty) which phobia do you believe is the most common?

If you said "arachnophobia," or the fear of spiders and arachnids, you nailed it. Estimates put arachnophobia at affecting roughly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men.

In Illinois, Our Biggest Phobia Is Not Bugs, Heights, Or Needles

According to a study on fears released by YourLocalSecurity.com, Illinoisans have a phobia that must make this time of year extra tough because you see plenty of it in October: Blood.

That's right, Illinois residents, along with the residents of 8 other states, have an intense, irrational fear of blood. Since you can't chuck a pumpkin around here without having it land in some Halloween decoration that's been covered in fake blood, this month has got to suck for those with this phobia.

Nationwide, Fear Of Failure Is This Year's Number One Phobia

Fear of failure was the "winner" with 10 states choosing that phobia, followed by Illinois' chief fear, blood. Water, intimacy, spiders, and "the outside" round out the top six.