A new study offers evidence that laughter sensitivity is linked to insecurity and can thwart a person’s success in romantic relationships. The findings were published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Because it is important?
The fear excessive being laughed at is a type of so-called gelotophobia. People with gelotophobia are hypersensitive to laughter and tend to misinterpret the sounds of laughter they hear around them as mockery directed toward them. It’s no surprise then that gelotophobia has been linked to difficulties in romantic relationships.
The study was conducted by Kay Brauer and René T. Proyer to understand how and why this fear of laughter produces less satisfaction in romantic relationships. According to the authors, a possible explanation is that these people misinterpret the expressions of positive emotions of potential partners, such as laughter or smiles on a first date, feeling ridiculed and then losing interest, despite the fact that there is a desire to have a relationship. long term romance.
How does the study was realized?
Preliminary studies suggest a relationship between gelotophobia and anxious attachment. Anxious attachment is characterized by worries about the relationship. Brauer and Proyer wanted to expand the research by replicating the findings in a larger sample.
531 adults between 18 and 80 years old participated in the study. 65% of the people who participated were women. They were recruited through pamphlets at the University of Zurich. All completed assessments that included assessments of gelotophobia (with the GELOPH-<15>) and measures of anxious attachment and avoidant attachment in close relationships (with the ECR-R Instrument for Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised).
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What was found?
The scientists highlight three results:
- Analysis of the data showed that fear of being laughed at was related to a lower likelihood of having been in a relationship.
- Evidence was also found that gelotophobia is related to insecure attachment style. The fear of being laughed at is connected to anxious and avoidant attachment styles.
- The finding on attachment styles contributes to understanding why gelotophobia is related to being single.
The researchers explain that because only anxiety mediated the link between gelotophobia and the likelihood of having been in a relationship, it is likely that anxious attachment can partially explain why those who fear being laughed at are less successful at relationship. Although people with gelotophobia desire romance, their plans are likely to be thwarted by a hypersensitivity to rejection, just like those with anxious attachment. Their fears cause them to misinterpret a potential partner’s laughter as malicious, rather than friendly.
What limitations do the authors name?
The study was limited because although it was done with a larger sample than in previous research, only romantic attachment was examined and not attachment styles in different relationships. The researchers suggest that future studies should also consider attachment to peers and family members and examine the interaction between gelotophobia and attachment over time.
Study reference: Brauer, K., & Proyer, RT (2020). Gelotophobia in romantic life: Replicating associations with attachment styles and their mediating role for relationship status. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(10-11), 2890–2897. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520941607
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