The Earth is 197,000,000 square miles, and it’s inhabited by over 8 billion people. You might share a city with millions of other residents, and we all share a planet with millions of different species of animals. But if none of those facts make you feel small, we believe that the photos on this list just might.
Below, you’ll find some of the most unsettling posts from the Megalophobia subreddit, a group dedicated to featuring pictures that might trigger a fear of large things within you. So good luck scrolling through these images that may make you feel uneasy, and be sure to upvote the ones that remind you just how tiny we all are!
#1 This Building Is Entirely Too Big, And I Wasn’t Even All The Way Up. Zoom In For People
Image credits: Suitable-Motor-1952
#2 Tallest Elevator
Image credits: WeirdChick81
#3 Those Pictures Of Planets Replacing The Moon Have Become Reality In Vegas Now
Image credits: SillyTube
Sometimes it seems like there’s a phobia for anything nowadays; there’s even a fear of everything! (It’s called pantophobia, if you’re curious.) And megalophobia, although it’s certainly not the most talked about fear, is certainly a valid one. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this is the intense fear some people have of large objects, such as skyscrapers, airplanes, large ships, vast spaces such as stadiums, and more.
Megalophobia can affect people of all ages, but as with many other phobias, it’s likely to develop during childhood and then become apparent during adolescence or young adulthood. Women are also more likely to develop specific phobias than men, so this list may be a bit easier for our male pandas to get through.
#4 I’m Honestly Surprised That This Nightmare From The 2012 London Olympics Never Found Its Way Here
Image credits: Clear-Average3589
#5 Centuripe In Sicily, Italy
Image credits: sunarcho
#6 The Amount Of Dread I Feel When Looking At This Is Unreal
Image credits: bemmamysfgdfd
While the Cleveland Clinic notes that it’s difficult to know exactly how many people are afflicted by megalophobia, it’s estimated that about 7-10% of the population has a phobia. And when it comes to the symptoms that those with megalophobia experience, they’re not very different from those that people with any other phobia may experience.
When people with megalophobia find themselves around particularly large objects, they may feel intense fear or anxiety, have a rapid heartbeat, have shortness of breath, feel dizzy and or lightheaded, feel nauseous and feel a strong desire to escape the situation they’re currently in.
#7 The Scale Of The Deepwater Horizon Disaster Is Nightmarish
Image credits: barlobian
#8 Freedom Ship Concept, A Floating City To Free People From Taxes
Image credits: mysterious45670
#9 Hey I Found Your…screw?
Image credits: BeefPieSoup
Many people don’t actually seek out a diagnosis for their phobias, but it is possible to be diagnosed with megalophobia if you have experienced a consistent fear of large objects for at least half a year. The four criteria that phobias must meet to receive a diagnosis are: intense and unreasonable fear, anticipatory anxiety, avoidance, and the phobia starting to interfere with day-to-day activities. If you’ve experienced these symptoms for a while, pandas, it might be time to seek help for your phobia.
#10 Hyperion, The World’s Tallest Living Tree
Image credits: NewMechanic6903
#11 Something About This Just Gives The Heebee Jeebeez
Image credits: hkzqgfswavvukwsw
#12 Supercell Hail Core Near Stratford, Texas (From Wikipedia)
Image credits: hankolijo
According to Verywell Mind, megalophobia can often be triggered when individuals with the phobia see larger than life versions of normal items. For example, a statue depicting a massive person or an animal shown much larger than it would ever grow in real life can be extremely unsettling. While people without the phobia may find these exaggerated objects amusing or entertaining, those with megalophobia can have a hard time viewing them.
#13 Red Sprites Are Upper Atmospheric Lightning That Can Occur Above Storm Clouds. They Can Be As Large As 50 Square Kilometers
Image credits: Joth91
#14 ?
Image credits: TillMMMV
#15 No Sure If This Belongs Here
Image credits: Xconvik
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss when it comes to avoiding megalophobia triggers. Certain media can make those with the phobia even more anxious, as we might have never even thought to fear a giant squid or sea monsters lurking underwater if stories didn’t plant these ideas into our heads. Writers and directors are well aware of these phobias, however, as they intentionally create stories featuring massive sharks, snakes and more to freak out audiences.
#16 A Vertical Parking Lot Structure In Chicago, 1940s
Image credits: OkProcdure
#17 I Had A Weird Feeling Seeing This
Image credits: 99parsec
#18 A Big Nope For My Disorder
Image credits: baoonhewy
When it comes to seeking treatment for megalophobia, experts recommend undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy and/or exposure therapies. “A psychotherapist may literally walk someone through what they fear about large objects,” Verywell Mind explains. “In the process, they try to help the person understand rationally why that fear may be unfounded. The goal is then to work through a more realistic perspective of their fears and face situations that the phobia has caused the person to avoid.”
#19 Our Solar System Compared To A Blackhole
Image credits: Tasty-Ask4866
#20 The Rwe Bagger 288 Compared To A Human…
Image credits: narujaru
#21 First Wind-Powered Cargo Ship
Image credits: Frankenzak
Certain behaviors can also help those with megalophobia cope with their fears. Healthline recommends developing anxiety-management habits such as eating a balanced diet, getting daily exercise, socializing with friends and loved ones, doing yoga and similar mind-body practices and finding ways to manage stress. If you’re well rested, well fed, busy and satisfied with your life, you may find your phobia start to shrink if you have less anxiety overall and less time to worry about it.
#22 The Lincoln Cathedral Beat Out The Great Pyramid Of Giza For Tallest Building When It Was Completed In 1311 With The Installation Of Its Spire, Thus Growing It To 160 Meters. Look At How It Dwarfs The Other Buildings Here
Image credits: UseApprehensive1102
#23 “The Legend Of Devil’s Tower” – Herbert A. Collins, 1937
Image credits: Mike109
#24 This Is Funny And Terrifying At The Same Time
Image credits: Turk137
If you suffer from megalophobia, it’s also important to get to the root of the problem and see where your fear comes from. Healthline suggests that those with the phobia seek out help from a therapist to not only cope with their fears but ensure that they don’t dictate their lives. Phobias are valid and can be excruciating to deal with, but we shouldn’t have to fight them in silence.
#25 The Sky Whispering To The Earth
Image credits: kostric3
#26 High-Speed Trains, Nanjing Station, China??
Image credits: 4reddityo
#27 This Scene In The Movie The Green Knight Really Creeped Me Out
Image credits: Vexmythoclastt
Are you feeling frightened by the photos on this list, pandas? Don’t worry, they can’t hurt you! But it is spooky season, so being a little scared is entirely appropriate this month. Enjoy scrolling through the rest of the pics, and keep upvoting the ones you find particularly unsettling. Then, if you’re interested in triggering your megalophobia even more, you can find Bored Panda’s last article on the same topic right here!
#28 I Do Not Want To See What Would Happen If That Impacted The Earth
Image credits: Mad_Dumpster8566
#29 How Does That Balance
Image credits: Mad_Dumpster8566
#30 Newly Opened Pykhtino Metro Station In Moscow
Image credits: _kanana
#31 The Mind Shaft
Image credits: Globohomie2000
#32 Lun-Class Ekranoplan Abandoned On A Beach. This Is Not Classified As Aircraft Because It Used The Ground Effect To Travel Just Feet Above The Water. They Haven’t Been In Use Since The 90s
Image credits: jollycharade
#33 The Planet J1407-B’s Enormous Rings Are 200x Bigger Than Saturn’s. I Don’t Get Much Megalophobia, But This Legitimately Freaks Me Out
Image credits: SANDROID20
#34 My Wife’s Own Megalophobia. The Longest Escalator In The Us
Image credits: uglydistribu
#35 To Big To Be Real. “World’s Largest Log Cabin”. Portland, Oregon, 1938. Built In 1905, Burned Down In 1964
Image credits: ben_isaak
#36 The Hugeness Of This Flag Carried On A Spanish Ship During The Battle Of Trafalgar Compared To The People Beside It
Image credits: Open_War_8476
#37 Berserk Is Crazy
Image credits: jgott933
#38 Naga Cave In Bueng Kan – Thailand
Image credits: TopToe7563
#39 Typhoon Is A Class Of Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarines Built By The Soviet Union
Image credits: bloodthirsty_
#40 Senegal
Image credits: this-is-plaridel
#41 What You Do In This Situation?
Image credits: weirdghatna
#42 Someone Posted Nope (2022) And It Made Me Think Of This Movie
Image credits: lawschoolmeanderings
#43 An Ecumenopolis Is A City Which Spans An Entire Planet. Coruscant From Star Wars Is An Example Of Such A City
Image credits: WideArmadillo6407
#44 Photo I Found In A Book From 1987 Of The Statue Of Liberty With The Twin Towers Behind It. There Are Actually People Visible Just Below The Statue, To Make The Photo Even Worse
Image credits: orbeinYT
#45 The Gustav Gun, The Largest Single Weapon Ever Used In History, Weighing At Up To 1,500 Tons
Image credits: UseApprehensive1102
#46 Manhattan In The 70’s
Image credits: Snoo_69649
#47 The Reason Your Mom Said To Get Home Before The Lights Turned On
Image credits: Crazy_raptor
#48 Plane
Image credits: OhOkayZu
#49 *this Is A Warning Issued By The Emergency Broadcast System – Stay Indoors, Do Not Investigate Noise Outside*
Image credits: growlingsts
#50 Cao Grande Peak Looks Unreal
Image credits: gabrielleraul
#51 H-Bomb
Image credits: Last_Mulberry_877
#52 The Belaz 75710, The World Largest Dumper
Image credits: Slahnya
#53 I Don’t Know If I Would Trust That Ice
Image credits: Mad_Dumpster8566
#54 “A Sudden Shift In The Weather Lifted The Tail Of The Rigid Airship, Which Resulted In The Unique Sight Of The 658-Foot Long Uss Los Angeles Standing On Its Nose.”
Image credits: doyouhavetono
#55 I Need A Balls Of Steel Even To Think Of Doing That
Image credits: Simunai
#56 This Movie Terrified Me As A Kid
Image credits: xstormaggedonx
#57 Mawsonia, A Euryhaline Giant Coelacanth, Potential Prey Item For Spinosaurus, Compared To A Man
Image credits: UseApprehensive1102