I want to share my article from this month's Cosmopolitan Magazine with my dear steemians.
How do we learn to stay safe? As children, we might touch something hot and get burned, teaching us to avoid it in the future. Or a caretaker might warn us, "Don’t touch the fire, you’ll get hurt," and we heed that advice.
Cherophobia, or the fear of happiness, is similar. We might label past painful experiences by thinking, “I was happy until something terrible happened,” and we accept this as an unchanging truth. Alternatively, we might hear the saying, “Those who laugh a lot also cry a lot,” and start to believe it, leading us to fear happiness.
The term cherophobia comes from the Greek word "chairo," which means "glad." People without this fear often struggle to understand those who do. While those who aren't afraid of heights can relate to those who are, few can genuinely understand someone with a fear of happiness.
Individuals with cherophobia are not always sad. They may seem cheerful on the outside, but internally they might be troubled. For instance, at a birthday celebration, they might stay because they feel it would be awkward to leave, even if their inner voice urges them to go.
They might reject joyful experiences that could enrich their lives, like avoiding romantic relationships due to a strong belief that they will ultimately be unhappy, regardless of who is involved.
They could even shy away from simple, enjoyable activities like going to the movies or having coffee with friends. They may perceive others striving for happiness as engaging in unnecessary or harmful efforts.
Their true fear lies not in the happiness itself, but in the unhappiness they believe will inevitably follow.
Like other phobias, cherophobia exists in varying degrees. Some may worry about facing a negative moment after an enjoyable evening with friends, while others may steer clear of cheerful settings altogether, and some might even feel physical symptoms like nausea or shortness of breath in happy situations.
While there's no proof that happiness leads to unhappiness, studies suggest that laughter triggers happiness hormones, and happy individuals tend to be more successful, optimistic, and sociable. It isn't clear if happiness causes unhappiness, but happiness does seem to create more happiness.