About half of adults have a phobia, with one in 10 finding their fear so debilitating they need treatment, according to estimates.
But experts say few of us actually seek help and in the meantime heightened stress levels are thought to be making us even more phobic.
A straw poll of colleagues on the BBC News website unearths a widespread and wide range of phobias - the feel of snails, the look of fish, the smell of bananas, even a single baked bean.
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