Texans are afraid of needles, study says

DALLAS (KDAF) — As Halloween approaches, a new study reveals that Americans are more frightened by everyday life than by supernatural scares.

Conducted by Dr. Cinik, the study analyzed Google Trends data over the past six months to determine the most searched phobias in each state, highlighting fears that range from social situations to confined spaces.

In Texas, the top phobia is the fear of needles.

Full list of states and their top fear:

State	Most popular phobia
Alabama	Fear of failure
Alaska	Fear of the dark
Arizona	Fear of people
Arkansas	Fear of long words
California	Fear of heights
Colorado	Fear of heights
Connecticut	Fear of confined spaces
Delaware	Fear of holes
Florida	Fear of blood
Georgia	Fear of people
Hawaii	Fear of failure
Idaho	Fear of heights
Illinois	Fear of heights
Indiana	Fear of needles
Iowa	Fear of people
Kansas	Fear of confined spaces
Kentucky	Fear of the dark
Louisiana	Fear of heights
Maine	Fear of being alone
Maryland	Fear of holes
Massachusetts	Fear of confined spaces
Michigan	Fear of the dark
Minnesota	Fear of blood
Mississippi	Fear of holes
Missouri	Fear of people
Montana	Fear of holes
Nebraska	Fear of heights
Nevada	Fear of being alone
New Hampshire	Fear of heights
New Jersey	Fear of people
New Mexico	Fear of blood
New York	Fear of heights
North Carolina	Fear of clowns
North Dakota	Fear of people
Ohio	Fear of the dark
Oklahoma	Fear of blood
Oregon	Fear of failure
Pennsylvania	Fear of the dark
Rhode Island	Fear of strangers
South Carolina	Fear of confined spaces
South Dakota	Fear of confined spaces
Tennessee	Fear of blood
Texas	Fear of needles
Utah	Fear of confined spaces
Vermont	Fear of thunder
Virginia	Fear of germs
Washington	Fear of people
West Virginia	Fear of needles
Wisconsin	Fear of failure
Wyoming	Fear of heights

Acrophobia, or the fear of heights, is the most searched phobia in nine states, including California, Illinois, and New York. This fear is common in a country with numerous skyscrapers and scenic overlooks.

Anthropophobia, the fear of people, ranks second, topping searches in seven states such as Arizona, Georgia, and Washington. The rise of remote work and social media may contribute to this trend.

Claustrophobia, the fear of confined spaces, is the leading phobia in six states, including Massachusetts and Kansas. This fear often stems from a loss of control and is one of the most commonly reported phobias in the US.

The study underscores that while Halloween may bring out fake scares, millions of Americans live with genuine phobias that reflect cultural and environmental influences.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by CW33. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by CW33 staff before being published.