Every person is terrified of something. People in Illinois have a fear more common than folks in other states which leads to this burning question: why?

To have a phobia isn't unusual, but some phobias are more common than others. If you want to scare the pants off of an Illinoisan or keep them away, you'll want to keep a lighter or book of matches in your back pocket

attachment-Illinois Fear Of Fire
loading...

Most Common Fear In The U.S.

To know someone's true fear is a great way to get back at your worst enemy or be a really big jerk. Either way, there is something in all of us that freaks us out. A new study from e-conolight shows what scares people the most in each state.

attachment-Illinois Fear Of Fire (1)
loading...

If being in a tight space with no way to escape makes you start to breathe heavily or scares you to death, you're not alone. The study shows that Claustrophobia is the most common phobia in the U.S. Iowa is one of the 10 states that has that as its biggest fear.

This Is The Weirdest Phobia

The weirdest phobia comes out of Utah. Folks there have Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, a fear of long words ironically enough.

attachment-Illinois Fear Of Fire (4)
loading...

After surveying 2,000 people, the study found that Obeseophobia was the second most common phobia with three states claiming it as their biggest fear. That's the fear of gaining weight

attachment-Illinois Fear Of Fire (2)
loading...
WDBQ-FM logo
Get our free mobile app

Illinois Can't Stand The Heat

That's because the thing they fear the most is what creates heat. If you're in Illinois and want to scare someone from there, just pull out your lighter and light it because Illinois has a serious Pyrophobia problem.

attachment-Illinois Fear Of Fire (3)
loading...

Pyrophobia is the fear of fire. This study doesn't tell us why each state has its fears, but it's hard to pinpoint why Illinois is terrified of fire. They don't have really any forest fires. Maybe it's because people from Iowa are burning them with their words too much.

Fire is terrifying, but more terrifying than bugs, being in tight spaces, or blood? I don't think so.

See what people in other states have a phobia of below:

Econolight
Econolight
loading...

These 11 Banned License Plates In Illinois Keep It Classy

Illinois residents have requested some raunchy license plates that the state has (not so surprisingly) declined.

Gallery Credit: Canva

Do Not Leave These 12 Items In Your Car In The Iowa Heat

It's a toasty summer. Keep your stuff safe and don't leave these items in the car.

Gallery Credit: Canva

More From WDBQ-FM