Boo! Here’s what North Carolinians are most afraid of, report says
If you get scared of falling short, you aren’t alone.
North Carolinians are most afraid of failure — and it’s not the only state where people worry about reaching their goals, a new report finds.
Failing was also the biggest fear of residents of Arizona, Massachusetts and Utah, according to internet search findings from safety equipment provider yourlocalsecurity.com.
So what could be behind the phobia?
North Carolina is home to some of the top universities in the nation, so it’s possible the searches come from stressed college students. The state also draws high-achieving workers to its banking and biotechnology industries.
While the thought of not succeeding might spook people in North Carolina, many states’ top phobias were tied to the craziness of 2020.
Nationwide, being scared of other people was most common — likely due to isolation from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the report.
“Anthropophobia, the fear of people, made up 22% of all phobia search volume — making it the most-searched fear in the United States,” the report said. “Search volume for anthropophobia increased by five times since 2019.”
Similarly, flying in airplanes and being alone gave more people the heebie jeebies this year, findings show. The travel industry has struggled as health experts recommend people stay close to home to help avoid spreading COVID-19.
To come up with its findings, yourlocalsecurity.com said it checked the 15 most-Googled phobia searches from August 2018 to August 2019. Analysts also examined three new phrases that start with “fear of,” results show.
Across the country, other states’ top fears include blood, clowns, dark, germs or viruses, heights, holes, intimacy, needles, outside, public speaking, snakes, spiders and social media, according to findings.
On its website, yourlocalsecurity.com calls itself an “authorized provider” of ADT safety systems.
