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30 percent of 10, 532 fear to express “Happiness”

30 % of Chandigarh Youth are Cherophobic

3,160 boys and girls claimed that they are suffering with this fear regularly.

A survey by Chandigarh PGIMER in 2013.

Survey done on 10,532 girls and Boys aged 23-46 years.

M4PNews|Chandigarh:

This may sound weird but it is the reality that They fear #Happiness in their lives. It is #Cherophobia. Sadness do not fear youngsters but Happiness do. Recently, Chandigarh was ranked the Happiest city of the world. There is an eye opening hidden fact here. Youngsters here fear Happiness. As per experts from the Psychiatry departments this fear is nothing but a Phobia called Cherophobia.

Sample Size

Out of 10, 532 girls and boys ages between 23-46 years. They fear expressing Happiness, joyness before anyone because it may lead to some tragic accident as a result they keep everything in them. Out of these 3,160 boys and girls claimed that they are suffering with this fear regularly. Hence they keep happiness away from them. They often feel nausea, hand shaking, headaches after getting some joyous news. 1860 Boys fear happiness and 1300 Girls claimed the same.

What is #Cherophobia

As per Neuropsychiatrist Dr Arjun Arya, Arya Hospital Neuropsychiatry & Trauma Centre ManiMajra, Cherophobia is a mental state of an individual. Where he/she fears to express his/her happiness presuming a negative/traumatic outcome associated. An exaggerated or irrational fear of gratitude, Aversion to happiness, also called cherophobia or fear of happiness. It is an attitude towards happiness in which individuals may deliberately avoid experiences that invoke positive emotions or happiness

Causes of #Cherophobia

The causes of Cherophobia are found to be more of psychological and environmental (faulty learning or conditioning) as compared to genetic, neurological or biological. There are four major reasons why happiness may be avoided by various people and cultures “believing that being happy will provoke bad things to happen, that happiness will make you a worse person; that expressing happiness is bad for you and others, and that pursuing happiness is bad for you and others” .

Signs and Symptoms

#Cherophobia includes Irrational fear of gaiety; Feeling of panic, terror, dread, Rapid heartbeat, Shortness of breath, Trembling, Anxiety. Dr Arya says that the treatment available for cherophobia is based upon psycho-pharmacological approach, which includes Behavior therapy, Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Relaxation technique (controlled breathing, visualization), and in some cases anti-anxiety medications as well.