Are you a Cherophobic?

Are you chased by the irrational impression that if good events occur, they're doomed to be followed by something terrible? If so, have you wondered why this happens?

A few Maripinion posts ago, we met the “Toxic Positivists”, i.e., those who eradicate any semblance of negativity in an attempt to become happy. The demographic that espouses the too-happy mode of existence treats happiness as an integral ingredient in the complex compound we all call life. So manic is the pursuit of contentment that March 20th was marked as the International Day of Happiness in 2012, which illustrates how much of a universal ambition it is.

This week, we transport to the extreme opposite pole — to whoever is afraid of happiness and refuses to partake in anything fun. Cherophobia is the term that best exemplifies this admittedly contradictory state. Let's unpack the definition and the symptomatology of this condition, shall we?

Definition and Symptoms

Chero-phobia refers to a phobia of the Greek derivative “chairo”, χαίρω, denoting “to rejoice”.

Cherophobics are normally bogged down by feelings of anxiety about the influx of joyous emotions for multiple reasons. Let's get the scoop on some!

Intense happiness makes it likely that adverse things will befall you

Do you narrow your eyes in a too-good-to-be-true sort of suspicion when everything goes well? Are you convinced that they'll take a sinister spin real soon? Perhaps, you've heard of the trite proverb ‘what goes up, must come down?’

Chances are, you're afflicted by cherophobia. If you're constantly dubious of your good fortune, you might declare yourself the undisputed king of the cherophobic kind. It is at this point that you wish cherophobia was imaginary.

The notion that happiness could induce sadness is well entrenched across the globe. For example, in a qualitative survey carried out by Uchida and Kitayama, Japanese participants held that happiness resulted in devastating outcomes. This is because they felt that long periods of ongoing good spirits left them with little to no contact with their surroundings.

Fear

Another chain of research investigates ‘the fear of emotion,’ in which individuals are anxious about affective emotional states, as they're scared they'll escalate out of control over transient feelings such as gratitude, pride, and euphoria.

Similarly, individuals may be reluctant toward happiness because they fear they'll potentially lose their recently-attained “happy life” way more than they appreciate the actual journey to attainment. Under the debilitating fear that happiness doesn't last forever or that something will go wrong, cherophobics may even reject promising, life-shifting opportunities.

A happy way of living turns you into a bad person

For some Western and Non-Western societies, excessive happiness is an indicator of immorality and selfishness. This is echoed in Ben-Shahar's 2002 book, The Question of Happiness: On Finding Meaning, Pleasure, and the Ultimate Currency. Therein, he observes how people dread over happiness or appear guilt-bound when engaging in joyful activities while others suffer. In fact, guilt is a common contributory factor. The guilt-driven questions that individuals dealing with cherophobia usually ask revolve around an unending cycle of second-guessing:

‘Is it bad to be content?’ or ‘Is it OK to be content with your life?’

To shed some light and clarity on the paradox, recall when you last hit the dance floor with your friends ready to have the time of your life. Narrow down your panoramic view of the packed nightclub to a close-up of yourself. Do you remember getting an unreasonable sense of discomfort in an environment that is expected to invoke feelings of cheerfulness? Cherophobics tend to be devoured by worries like:

‘If I enjoy spending time with friends, something bad will happen,’

This illogical line of thinking can infiltrate other aspects and scenarios of life:

‘If I celebrate my job promotion, I’ll get fired.’

‘If I confess to myself how much I love cuddling with my boyfriend, we'll end up fighting.’

These statements are open to interpretation. They may imply anything — from fright to letting oneself experience happiness and success to the assumption that they don't deserve to be happy.

The expression of happiness is unacceptable

Aside from being or feeling happy, there is a pervasive belief among cultures that even demonstrating happiness must be avoided. This is due to the negative consequences it may carry for both the individual and those around them.

Ucida and Kitayam (2009) propose that for East Asian regions, outwardly and profusely exhibiting success might provoke envy. As such, the positive affect correlated with happiness and fulfilment may be undermined by the negativity of guilt and discord.

In that vein, Russians think twice when pursuing or sharing their achievements because of the “evil eye”; the superstition that manifest success could bring as much envy and scepticism from others as misfortune for the individual.

Although the above examples probably ring all-too familiar bells, a definite psychological consensus or a diagnostic set of criteria and research in this field remain scant. Yet recent studies probing aversion to happiness suggest that it's not a one-size-fit-all phenomenon. Not only are there variants of happiness, but an individual can experience different degrees of aversion. Also, as the final point indicates, one's cultural background plays a pivotal role in the shaping of their psyche.

Cherophobia: A Cultural Residue?

To get a sense on why some people oppose to happiness, we need to look at the value certain cultures place on happiness.

In the West (the U.S and Northern Europe), happiness is a central goal in life, one ‘to which all humans strive’ as reporter Stephen Braun notes. This idea is solidified by empirical findings that proclaim North Americans as the ultimate happiness-seekers. A justification to this rests on two principles: individualism and collectivism. Unlike collectivists, such as South/Central Americans and East Asians, who prioritise on the harmony and belonging-ness they elicit from family and community, Westerners are individualistic to the core; their personal needs and preferences are of prime importance.

Where Argentinians often adopt an unhappy mindset as a way to draw attention, other cultural groups believe that happiness comes at a high cost, or that pleasure will give rise to pain and tragedy. Interestingly, people in Malawi get doubtful of successful individuals, presuming they have used devious and illicit means to reach it. The overall implication here being that our neural paths are carved out in such a way that we voluntarily sabotage our happiness to circumvent sadness. Put simply, we've been instructed to avoid the good to prevent the bad.

But what are the triggering mechanisms of cherophobia?

What Causes Cherophobia?

Whereas cherophobia is yet-to be scientifically acknowledged as a mental disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), several health experts have already started to locate it within a clinical framework as a type of anxiety. Therefore, we can only extrapolate based on the emerging professional claims made for cherophobia.

A reserved, introverted attitude, high levels of stress as well as past trauma usually precede the condition. Like many phobias, experiences in childhood can be helpful markers for explaining and understanding aversion to happiness. Children tend to form intrinsic connections between pleasure and pain. Over time, the perception that something pleasurable must be accompanied by something painful, and vice versa, gets heightened in a cherophobic's mind. For instance, a bunch of fun, adrenaline-fuelled moments with schoolmates may lead to the principal's office.

How to Overcome Cherophobia?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Counselling is a highly recommended approach to tackling phobias. More precisely, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is what renders anxiety disorders curable. CBT helps patients to identify unhelpful behavioural patterns that, in turn, reflect a harmful thought process.

An effective sub-option in CBT is the use of exposure treatments. By means of repeated exposure, this kind of therapy urges the individual to confront their fears. In other words, it aims for a growing immunity towards the source (e.g. an object or a situation) that has bred the phobia in the first place.

Regarding cherophobia, constant exposure to joy-evoking social events may reduce the anxiety towards happiness.

Mindfulness

Likewise, mindfulness is proven to be beneficial for anxiety. A proud offshoot of the Buddhist tradition, mindfulness draws from meditation practices to steer an awakening toward the present moment in everyday life.

There's a bulky portion in everyone's brain that is not being used; it's what can be thought as in back-up mode. Only when challenged and stimulated do these dormant neural areas pick up some of those functions — what we call neuroplasticity The theory points to the ability of the brain to change, readapt, reorganise data and amend problematic situations.

Self-care

As already mentioned, no two cases are the same; the severity of cherophobia varies in each sufferer. If the “don't worry, be happy” anecdote doesn't work for you, try the following self-care rituals to alleviate the tension and distress caused by the phobia.

Relax and allow your mental minefield to rest

Stay active with physical exercise

Nourish your mind and exteriorise thorny thoughts with some journaling

Take-away message

Regardless of your belief system or cultural influences, everyone should aspire joyful, purposeful and meaningful lives. That's not a Westernised perspective, but a human right that all earth-dwellers should claim. Of course, nothing is all pink and fluffy in the “and they lived happily ever after” utopia of fairy tales. Hurdles are unavoidable and essential components of our growth and evolution. But let’s not permit phobias obstruct life's miraculous opportunities. Pinky promise?

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Are you a Cherophobic? last modified: 9 January 2021