What is your subconscious hiding from you?
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Last updated on May 23, 2023
Whether we like to admit it or not, the things that scare us play a big part in our daily lives.
In prehistoric times, fear was the primal instinct that helped us survive. Fear of dangers like fire, predatory animals, and/or the dark don't arise from weaknesses or flawed character traits; they are logical responses designed to help us out of situations that can, if we don't listen to them, cost us our lives.
Whether the things we fear most are internal or external, isolating them and identifying them can help us live stronger, happier, and healthier lives. It's just a matter of figuring out what exactly it is we are so afraid of, because, very often, we don't like to face those things.
Take this biggest fear personality test to discover what you are secretly afraid of.
And once you learn your secret fear, you can determine what that means for you, your personality traits, and your life.
Simply at the image below. Take a good look and make a note of the first thing you see in the picture.
Now, scroll down to see what this biggest fear quiz reveals about your most secret worries.
Photo: Butterfly Apple by Vladimir Kush
1. If you saw the knife
You might think that if you saw the knife first, your greatest fear is related to violence, but you would be wrong.
If you saw the knife first, it means that your greatest fear involves terminal illness.
It could be that you fear getting a deadly illness yourself or it could be a fear that someone you love will contract such an illness. While there's nothing wrong with taking care of your health, the danger comes in letting concerns over illness control and consume you.
Sadly, we don't have control over everything that happens to us. This is what makes life interesting, but yes, it's also what makes it scary.
2. If you saw the caterpillar
Chances are if you saw the caterpillar first, you believe your greatest fear is something to do with bugs, but you couldn't be more wrong.
If you saw the caterpillar first when you looked at the image, it means you have a deep and serious fear of ghosts and the supernatural.
This might not be a fear that you publicly advertise, but it's a huge part of who you are. You may have always had this fear, or you may have developed it later in life, but it is powerful, even though you might not have a logical reason for feeling this way.
It's natural to fear the things we do not know, and ghosts representing death and what comes after it is as unknown as it gets. Take comfort in knowing that countless others share this fear, too!
3. If you saw the butterfly
If you saw the butterfly first, it doesn't mean you have a fear of insects nor that you have a fear of change, which could be another easy misconception.
If you saw the butterfly first when you looked at the image, your greatest secret fear is rejection or betrayal.
You're probably excellent at hiding this fear, but it informs a large part of who you are. You love your friends and romantic partners and even your family members deeply, but you're always keeping a watchful eye, wary that they might do the worst thing imaginable and violate your trust.
Trusting other people is never easy, but it's necessary for creating intimacy. If you want to have truly meaningful relationships that stand the test of time, you'll have to take the leap and start having faith in the people who matter to you most.
4. If you saw the apple
If you saw the apple first, it's tempting to assume that this must mean your subconscious fear has something to do with eating, food, or being poisoned. That's not the case.
If you saw the apple when you first looked at the image, then chances are your biggest subconscious fear is death.
Fear of death is difficult to rationalize away because death is scary. It's the ultimate unknown, yet it's as certain as taxes, as the saying goes. However, if you fixate on a fear of death, chances are you'll start missing out on all of the joys that do exist when you're alive.
The best way to conquer a fear of death is to remember that death is a natural part of life.
Sure, the idea of not knowing what comes next is scary, but since matter can neither be created nor destroyed, it should hopefully be comforting to know that in some way, however small, there is a part of us all that is guaranteed to live on.
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Rebecca Jane Stokes is a freelance writer and the former Senior Editor of Pop Culture at Newsweek with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, and true crime.