Recognize The Symptoms Of Cherophobia, The Phobia Of Feeling And Expressing Happiness

Illustration of cherophobia or fear of feeling happiness (Freepik / wayhomestudio)

JAKARTA - Happiness wants to be felt by everyone in every phase of life. However, someone who has a phobia or a fear of feeling happiness will experience different conditions.

Cherophobia is an individual whose fear of happiness leads to an avoidance of feeling pleasant situations. There have not been many references to this fear. Based on the origin of the word from the Greek 'chairo' which means 'to rejoice'.

Reporting from Positive Psychology, Wednesday, March 31, cherophobia is a feeling of reluctance or fear of happiness which is recognized as a clinical disorder according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diorders.

In psychological studies, happiness is used to refer to the term 'subjective well-being' and is measured by reports of life satisfaction and its positive and negative effects.

Happiness in western society is often seen as the highest life goal. Which means that this goal is fought for by all humans. However, someone experiencing cherophobia has the following reasons for reluctance to enjoy happiness.

Thinking that happiness is the beginning of bad things

Have you ever had the confidence that when everything goes well something bad will happen later? In fact, qualitatively, this has been researched in Japan by Uchida and Kitayama in 2009, that happiness can have negative consequences due to neglect.

The fear of happiness arises for two reasons. First, for fear of losing control of the emotions that are felt. Second, he dislikes happiness for fear of losing the sense of happiness he has just achieved.

Feeling guilty for being happy

A person may believe that feeling happy can make him a worse person. Ben-Shahar in 2002 suggested that a person may fear happiness because of his guilt towards others who feel pain.

Expressing happiness has a bad effect

Several specific individuals and cultures, according to a psychologist and researcher Dr. Jessica Swainston, Ph.D., believes that expressing feelings of happiness should be avoided because it is potentially negative. For example, it can trigger jealousy, jealousy, and suspicion from others.

The pursuit of happiness can increase the ego

The idea that the pursuit of happiness might be perceived as negative for a culture. Because happiness is considered the center of the ego or the pursuit of personal happiness can ignore the common good.

From a number of reasons mentioned above, Swainston concludes that fear and rejection of happiness are largely related to culture. Meanwhile, the effect on a person from this fear is that the level of openness, awareness, and extraversion is weakened.

The behavioral symptoms of cherophobia are recognized when a person is away from social life. He prefers to be alone and limit contact with the outside world. Meanwhile, cognitive symptoms are recognized by the birth of guilt when expressing happiness in front of others.