With Halloween around the corner, everyone is preparing for thrills and scares. But what really scares Warsaw High School students? The most common phobia amongst the students is arachnophobia.

“They are like so scary and gross. They are vicious,” sophomore Schrelle Roberts said.

 Based on discussions with students, some of their most common fears are clowns, windows, and heights. Students might be surprised to find out some of their peers’ other fears might be a bit more strange than the terror of spiders.

  ¨I don’t like feet,¨ freshman Kimberly Adams said. ¨I can’t touch them or be around them.¨

  ¨I can’t stand it when my food touches; if it does I freak out and I can’t eat it,¨ senior Katheryine Lee said.

 According to psychology trainer Jan Heerings’ website www.phobia-fear-realese.com most phobias are caused by traumatic experiences or just the sufferer’s imagination. In Adam’s case, her foot phobia was caused by past annoyance with her dad’s odorous feet. Phobias (when they’re not caused by trauma) can often be irrational.

 “It was recent, like  maybe four years ago,” Lee said. “I use compartment plates or get small portions so my food doesn’t touch.”

Fear is a feeling of anxiety directed at something or a situation, while a phobia is usually a more specific fear that can be overwhelming, shared psychology teacher Tricia  Foster.

  “Sometimes when I get scared I’ll scream, throw what’s closest to me, and push my little sister in front of me, so she can die first,” freshman Amber Flippin said.

   But not all terrors are unfavorable. Fears can often lead people away from dangerous or potentially harmful situations, or they can enjoy the emotional release after being scared.

  According to News.Discovery.com, people desire to be afraid for the epinephrine surge and the good feelings after the frightening event. It has even been explained as a “natural high.”

¨People like the adrenaline rush of being scared,” junior Anthony Bueke said.

“Fear can be fun (haunted houses, scary movies). That is why Halloween is so fun. I love Halloween,” Foster said.