Mad cows don't laugh

Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Researchers from the University of Zurich have isolated the cultural differences that people have about being laughed at and conclude that the fear of being laughed at varies enormously among adults in all cultural settings. People who relate the laughter they hear as being directed at themselves are known as “gelotophobes”, from the Greek gelos, laughter and phobos, fear. Gelotophobes have a “pathological fear of appearing to social partners as a ridiculous object”, according to Dr. Michael Titze, and will avoid situations where they may feel threatened by laughter. Researchers know that laughter is a universally human phenomenon.

The researchers, led by Willibald Ruch and René Proyer, created a questionnaire that was translated into 42 languages and given to some 23,000 people in 73 countries to determine who suffers  from gelotophobia. Victor Rubio, one of the participating researchers, says “Our study makes it possible to draw a clear distinction between people who suffer from this phobia and those who do not, as well as showing the scale of cultural differences, which are so important in any possible psychological treatment.”

Links to other sites: Humor Journal, LabSpaces

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