Imagine this situation. You pass(1) a group of people. The people are talking to each other(2). You cannot(3) hear(4) what they are saying.
But suddenly(5) they start laughing(6). What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny(7) that one of them(8) said? Or — be honest with yourself(9) — would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you. Being laughed at(10) is a common fear(11). But a major(12) study published(13) in two thousand nine found(14) that this fear is not the same(15) around the world.
It differs(16) from culture to culture. People in Finland(17) were the least likely(18) to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them(19).
Less than(20) ten percent of Finns(21) in the study said they would think that way(22), compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand. Some people in the study said they felt unsure(23) of themselves in social situations but hid(24) their feelings(25) of insecurity.
Others said they avoided(26) social situations where they had been(27) laughed at before.The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group.
They would hide(28)
their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people’s
laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try(29) to avoid such(30) situations if they felt they had been laughed at before.
Shy people(31) often(32) avoid situations that would force them into close contact(33) with other people. They worry(34) that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others.
They may have(35) a disorder(36) called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek(37) word. It means(38) laughter(39). Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly(41) sad(41) for those who live(42) with it.
It can affect how they lead their lives(43). In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led(44) more than ninety researchers(45) from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness(46) and true(47) gelotophobia.
Another purpose(48) of the study was to compare the levels(49) of fear of being laughed at in different cultures.
The researchers surveyed(50) more than twenty-two thousand people in forty-two different languages. The findings(51) appeared(52)
in the scientific journal Humor. For VOA Special English, I’m Carolyn
Presutti. Is shyness a serious problem for you or someone you know? It
was for a university student who asked(53) people in our audience for advice(54) on how to deal with(55) it. You can find out what they said at voaspecialenglish.com. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 09May2012
VOCABULARY
1. Pass = passar por 2. talking to each other = falando uns com os outros 3. cannot = não consegue 4. hear = ouvir 5. suddenly = de repente 6. laughing = dar risada 7. something funny = algo engraçado 8. one of them = um deles 9. with yourself = consigo mesmo 10. Being laughed at = “ser feito de palhaço” 11. common fear = medo comum 12. major = grande, importante 13. published = publicado 14. found = descobriu 15. the same = o mesmo 16. differs = difere 17. Finland = Finlandia 18. the least likely = o menos provável 19. making fun of them = “tirando um barato” deles 20. Less than = menos de 21. Finns = Finlandeses 22. that way = desta forma 23. felt unsure = sentiram-se inseguros 24. hid = esconderam 25. feelings = sentimentos 26. avoided = evitavam 27. had been = tinham sido 28. would hide = esconderiam 29. try = tentar 30. such = tal, tais 31. Shy people = pessoas timidas 32. Often = frequentemente 33. close contact = contato próximo 34. worry = preocupam-se 35. may have = podem ter 36. disorder = distúrbio 37. Greek = Grego(a) 38. Means = significa 39. Laughter = risada 40. Truly = verdadeiramente 41. Sad = triste 42. Live = vivem 43. lead their lives = conduzem suas vidas 44. led = conduziu 45. researchers = pesquisadores 46. shyness = timidez 47. true = verdadeiro(a) 48. Another purpose = um outro propósito 49. Levels = níveis 50. Surveyed = pesquisaram 51. Findings = descobertas 52. Appeared = apareceram 53. Asked = pediu 54. Advice = conselho 55. deal with = lidar com