Being around a group of laughing friends is normally a pleasurable experience, but not for someone who has an unusual phobia. They are gelotophobics, or persons who are afraid of being mocked.
When a person suffering from gelitophobia hears other people laugh, he or she assumes that the source of the laughter is them.In some extreme cases, the person suffering from gelitophobia may feel palpitations, sweat, or retaliate violently.
Smiling and laughing are nonverbal means of indicating that someone is emotionally happy (Ekman, Davidson, & Friesen, 1990). Despite the fact that laughing and smiles are thought to have positive intentions, laughter is frequently used to ridicule, bully, and demean others.
This developed specifically from medical research into general population fear, which led to the conclusion that gelotophobia should be defined as a spectrum ranging from little fear to a large deal of fear.
People at the top of the scale are terrified of or expect to be humiliated by public mockery. As a result, even well-intentioned, benevolent laughing terrifies them.
Gelitophobia has an impact on every element of society. Those who require assistance are rarely given it due to the conflict between receiving assistance and avoiding embarrassment and guilt. The client’s grin and the environment created to promote transference may turn off people seeking help for gelitophobia. Gelitophobics are frequently harassed and excluded from their social circles as a result of their repeated misunderstanding of nonverbal signals.
Gelitophobia differs from social phobia in several ways, and recognising these differences aids for better treatment and care of gelitophobic individuals. Using diagnostic tools can be a good way to go. It will make the therapy process go more smoothly and efficiently. This can also be utilised to assist teenagers or children who are being bullied in school; in such cases, the role of the school counsellor is critical.
Teachers and counsellors who are aware of the issue can assist children who have difficulties reading smiles and laughter signals, as well as promote early intervention to prevent life-long issues that gelitophobia patients face in their daily lives, such as loneliness, paranoia, and anxiety.
Blog By : JAGRATI TYAGI
1 Comment
Good job👍