Gelotophobia Great fear of the laughter of others makes many sick

Laughing slows down the heartbeats
Laughing is healthy. It affects the body and soul, can reduce stress and should release happiness hormones. However, laughing at others can be very unhealthy for some people, and even slow down heartbeats. Researchers have now determined this in an experiment.

Laughter is not always healthy
Laughter is healthy and affects body and soul. It is suitable for stress relief, can strengthen the immune system, releasing happiness hormones and studies also helps against loss of appetite and pain. Laughing can also have extremely unpleasant consequences. People who suffer from gelotophobia are generally afraid of being laughed at. As researchers have now found out in an experiment, according to a message from the "Information Service Science" (idw), even the heartbeats of those affected may slow down when they are subjected to insults or (supposed) laughs.

When people are laughed at, this sometimes has an effect on their heart function. (Image: contrastwerkstatt / fotolia.com)

People want to be part of a community
In humans, there is a fundamental need to be part of a community. The social being tends not only to avoid rejection, but also to seek acceptance. It depends on various factors, how the individual individuals interpret, when they are received positively or negatively or how strongly they react to signals from their environment. Nilüfer Aydin from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Klagenfurt explained: "In psychology, we know the concept of rejection sensitivity, the" rejection sensitivity "." The scientist further explained: "The concept describes the disposition to expect social rejection fearfully at any time be aware of it and react strongly to it. This is especially the case in ambivalent situations. "

Subjects were interrupted by insulting statements
The environment of this phenomenon includes gelotophobia - the fear of being laughed at. Those affected often assume that the laughter of other people in the sense of "making ridiculous" is directed against them. Researchers at the Universities of Graz, Munich and Klagenfurt have now investigated how the hearts of those affected react to laughter and insults. To this end, they invited 18 volunteers with gelotophobia and 24 participants without these fears to an experiment. The participants were asked to solve arithmetic problems for five minutes. They were interrupted by two standardized (previously recorded) insulting statements (for example: "I have no idea why you take so long for it.) Actually, the tasks are a breeze.") And interrupted by a (previously recorded) laughter. It is said that the stimuli - simulating randomness - were recorded via an intercom.

Heartbeats slowed for several seconds
The researchers, who have now published their study findings, found that participants who suffer from gelotophobia showed a reaction of their heart that is characteristic of those with social rejection. Thus, the heart beats slowed for several seconds and showed a further reduction after confrontation with the social stimulus. It was particularly emphasized that the heart reaction in the recorded insults but qualitatively different. "In addition, our study showed that there is an association between gelotophobia conceptually close to the concept of rejection sensitivity and increased aggressive anger," explained Aydin. (Ad)