Thelaughteris ainnate emotional expressionin humans. Therefore, laughing at others is also considered a universal phenomenon. However, for some people the fact that they are laughed at produces aextreme fearwhich greatly hinders your social life. It is what is known asgelotophobia, a disorder that, according to the scientific journalHumor, affects all cultures equally.
Several dozen researchers from 73 countries, including two Spanish ones, came to this conclusion after applying a questionnaire to assess the presence of gelotophobia in a sample of 22,610 people.
“There are many reasons why some people laugh at others,” explains Victor Rubio, a psychologist at the Autonomous University of Madrid and co-author of the study. According to experts, individuals can be classified into two dimensions involved in fear of beinglaugh at yourself: reactions ofunsafety, that is, trying to hide from others the lack of confidence in oneself or to believe that one is involuntarily funny; and reactions ofavoidanceof situations in which you have been laughed at. Although this is common in all cultures, the study identifies certain differences. Thus, for example, countries like Turkmenistan or Cambodia stand out for presenting insecurity reactions, while the inhabitants of Iraq, Egypt and Jordan tend to avoid the situations in which they were laughed at.
Another curious fact that the study highlights is thatFinnish citizens are the least suspicious that if someone laughs in their presence it is because they are laughing(8.5%), while in the same situation 80% of thethaihe is convinced that they are the cause of the laughter they hear.
