This is the VOA Special English Health Report , from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
Imagine this
situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You
cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would
you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of
them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing
at you? Yes, you.Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published
in two thousand nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It
differs from culture to culture. People in Finland were the least likely to
believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less
than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that way, compared
to eighty percent of people in Thailand. Some people in the study said they felt
unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity.
Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at
before.The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely
to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they
were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were
more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed
at before.Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close
contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make
other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They
may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means
laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those
who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives. In the study, a team
from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the
world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true
gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of
being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed more than
twenty-two thousand people in forty-two different languages. The findings
appeared in the scientific journal Humor. For VOA Special English, I'm Carolyn
Presutti. Is shyness a serious problem for you or someone you know? It was for a
university student who asked people in our audience for advice on how to deal
with it. You can find out what they said at voaspecialenglish.com. (Adapted from
a radio program broadcast 09May2012)
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