Cherophobia – What Is It, What Causes It, What Are The Symptoms, And Can It Be Treated?

For those who’ve never heard of this weird phobia before, cherophobia is the fear of happiness, gaiety, joy, or rejoicing, and it is usually considered to be a specific form of anxiety.

And I describe it as a weird phobia because it’s contrary to almost everything we believe. By this, I mean that most people are obsessed by the pursuit of happiness, so hearing that some people are afraid of it is, well, weird. We can appreciate why some might be afraid of snakes or spiders, because they can be dangerous or lethal – but being happy isn’t usually a cause for concern.

It’s important to note, however, that a person is not afraid of being happy per se – they are afraid of what will happen, or how they will feel, after the source of that happiness goes away.

In other words, rather than do something that will make them happy and enjoy it for what it is while it lasts, they are trading current happiness for something in the future that may or may not happen.

People suffering from this may also fear that being happy may make them a bad person, or that happiness is in some way bad for you and/or others.

It’s also different to depression, even though some of the symptoms may be the same – cherophobia isn’t about being unhappy, and it’s not caused by being unhappy either, it’s the active avoidance of activities and situations that might make you happy.

As the popular quote goes, which is often attributed to William Inge, “Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.”

What Causes Cherophobia?

Like many mental health problems, the most common cause is one or more traumatic events during childhood, which you may or may not be consciously aware of.

Our brains also have what’s referred to as a negativity bias. This means we focus on, and remember, unpleasant events, more than positive ones, and its origin likely lies in our innate survival instincts.

So, if something bad happened immediately after something pleasurable, our brains are going to remember that in case the same situation arises in future, in order that it can protect us.

It is also possible that some people are genetically predisposed to this phobia, meaning that an event many people would not think twice about might cause the problem in others.

Also, those who are naturally nervous or prone to anxiety are more likely to experience cherophobia, and there is an association with adrenal inadequacy (where your body does not produce sufficient quantities of certain hormones).

And lastly, there are people who believe in the concept of balance – i.e. for every good thing that happens to you, something bad must also happen, to maintain this assumed balance. If this is how you view life, then it is not a massive leap to arrive at a state of cherophobia.

I don’t suffer from this phobia, but I did experience something that, for some people, might trigger it.

When I was about ten or so, I attended a formal dinner with my parents because my father had just been elected as the Worshipful Master of his masonic lodge. It was a big deal for him, so much so that I was allowed to leave boarding school for the night, and it was an enjoyable evening.

However, after returning home from the event, and shortly after I’d gone to bed, my dog was killed in a road accident.

Like I said, it was upsetting, of course, but it did not make to want to avoid having enjoyable experiences in future, because I was fearful of something bad happening afterward.

But that’s the point – something like this can be all it takes to cause cherophobia in some people.

What Are The Symptoms?

Since this is a form of anxiety, the symptoms are, not surprisingly, very similar:

• Anxiety
• Chest pains
• Dizziness
• Dread
• Dry mouth
• Gagging
• Hiperhidrosis (i.e. excessive sweating)
• Hot or cold flashes
• Inability to articulate words or sentences
• Irregular heartbeat
• Nausea
• Numbness
• Rapid breathing
• Shaking
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating

While the effects of cherophobia can be relatively mild, they can also lead to life-changing consequences.

For example, some people may be offered opportunities (e.g. new jobs) that would improve their lives, but they decline them because they are fearful that if they accept them, something bad will happen.

Can Cherophobia Be Treated?

In short, yes, it can – as can mosts phobias.

As with other mental health problems, there are a few key strategies, which are typically recommended in combination with each other:

1. Medication (e.g. antidepressants in severe cases, and benzodiazepines and/or beta blockers to alleviate anxiety and nervousness).
2. Therapy (e,g, behavioural therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy, hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming, and psychoanalysis). Part of this may involve isolating the original source(s) of your phobia.

There are other things you can do, which are generally accepted as being good for you, such as regular exercise, eating healthily, and getting enough sleep. These are, of course, things we should all be doing anyway, but when you suffer from any type of mental health issue, these basics often fall by the wayside.

Hedonophobia

Cherophobia sounds similar to hedonophobia, which is the fear of pleasure, but they are in fact different.

As this article discusses, cherophobia is the fear of happiness because you are afraid of how you’ll feel or what will happen once the source of that happiness evaporates.

Hedonophobia, on the other hand, is more about fearing pleasure because of the feelings of guilt that it creates.

It is often the result of:

• A strict, puritanical or religious upbringing, where they are told that pleasure is sinful.
• An inability or unwillingness to feel pleasure when they are aware that so many people are suffering.

Conclusion

Cherophobia may be one of the weirder phobias, but once you look into it, you can see why some people might suffer from it.

And if you have it, then remember, almost all phobias can be treated and cured.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Help With Cherophobia