Google search data provided by the Sydney Phobia Clinic has shown that Australia’s greatest fear is arachnophobia.

Some of the strangest phobias came to light, including fear of rain and fear of public spaces.

The Sydney Phobia Clinic’s co-founder and principal clinical psychologist, Corrie Acland, told Liam Bartlett on Mornings that research also found that certain countries and cultures had very different personal phobias.

The most common animal-related phobia in Australia is fear of spiders, also known as arachnophobia.

“When it comes to fears, there is a normal fear we all have because fear is extremely beneficial to us,” she said.

“It is adaptive, and it enables us to take a survival response in the presence of real danger.”

Press PLAY to hear the full details of the phobia research and some of the most unusual fears Australians share.