What's your biggest fear? This study shows phobias by state

Crowded rooms, sleeping bags and smart cars. How do you feel about them? If it makes you a bit claustrophobic just thinking about it, you have something in common with most Iowans.

What are Iowans most afraid of?

In Iowa, claustrophobia was the top searched fear. Somniphobia, the fear of falling asleep, was a close second. Agoraphobia, the fear of leaving home and other safe environments came in third.

The list created by E-conolight, checked 43 common phobias across the nation sourced from Practical Psychology and Very Well Mind, and ranked them by analyzing each state's Google search trends.

Isabel Muzzio, psychological and brain sciences professor at the University of Iowa, describes claustrophobia as an anxiety disorder that causes individuals to experience extreme fear in confined spaces.

Claustrophobia was also the top searched fear in Alabama, California, D.C., Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey and New York.

Wait, where do these fears come from?

How do folks develop these phobias?

"When people confront a stressful situation, their amygdala, a region of the brain responsible for processing a range of emotions, including fear, becomes activated," Muzzio said.

This activation leads to the formation of fear associations between environmental cues and emotional responses, she said.

For instance, if someone experiences being trapped in an elevator and associates that small space with fear, this experience can lead to the generalized fear of confined spaces, commonly known as claustrophobia.

So, in the case of an elevator malfunctioning, one can become conscious of the fact that the elevator is not functioning correctly and that there's a risk of being trapped for an extended period in a confined space. Then, when the person finds themselves in a small, enclosed area following the incident, the memory of the initial fear association reactivates in the brain, leading to the same chemical responses.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: This study found each state's most searched phobia