Phobia—the irrational fear of a situation without apparent danger—concerns us all.

Everyone's had a phobia or two and managed to hold onto them. Whether fear of mice or spiders, heights or confined spaces, blushing or school exams, phobias raise the specter of embarrassing fears that sometimes even inspire panic. They oblige us to indulge avoidance behaviors or take "counterphobic" actions, but they also influence our character and social as well as romantic relationships, not to mention our entire mental lives.