64. What are Your Deepest1 Fears?

From VOA Learning English this is "As It Is"!  I’m Anna Matteo in Washington.

“Laughter² is the best medicine³” is a popular expression.  It simply means that⁴ laughing could be⁵ good for your health and good for your mind⁶.  But what if⁷ hearing⁸ laughter makes you afraid⁹?  Later in the show, we will hear about a fear, or phobia, of what many feel¹⁰ is the greatest sound on earth – laughter.

But first, we talk about fears, or phobias, in depth¹¹. What is a phobia? A phobia is a strong¹² fear of something that, in reality, presents little or no danger¹³.  Most phobias develop¹⁴ in childhood¹⁵, but they can also develop in adults.  The word phobia comes from¹⁶ the Greek¹⁷ language.  It means¹⁸ “to fear.”  

People who are afraid of spiders¹⁹ have arachnophobia. Some phobias are common.  The fear of spiders is arachnophobia.  The fear of small spaces is called claustrophobia. And the fear of heights²⁰ is acrophobia.

But there are also²¹ uncommon²² phobias.  Somniphobia is the fear of falling asleep²³.  And papaphobia is a fear of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope²⁴.  The list of phobias goes on and on²⁵.

Having a phobia is not a laughing matter²⁶.  Phobias often create problems in a person’s life.  One common phobia that can create problems and hold people back²⁷ especially at school and at work is the fear of public speaking²⁸ or glossophobia.  “Glossa” is Greek for “tongue²⁹.”  A student with glossophobia may be afraid³⁰ to speak up in class.  At work, a person with this phobia may not speak up in meetings³¹.

Whether³² it is a phobia or a real danger, our bodies react to fear.  And we often³³ use physical expressions to describe ourselves³⁴ when we are afraid.  I was so scared³⁵ “my blood ran cold”³⁶ or I “broke out into a cold sweat.”³⁷ 

If a book or movie is scary³⁸, we often call it “spine-tingling”³⁹ or “hair-raising⁴⁰.”  If something scares us, we can say it “made our hair stand on end” or that it had us “shaking⁴¹ in our shoes.”  All these expressions describe what happens to a person’s body when they are afraid.

Alfred E. Smith (left), New York's former governor⁴² meets with presidential nominee⁴³ and then-Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Aug. 4, 1930)

The U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said in his inaugural speech⁴⁴ that, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”   That is a nice idea.  But try telling that to a person who is “afraid of their own shadow⁴⁵.”

On today’s As It Is, we are learning about phobias, things that scare us.  And one phobia may surprise you.  It is the fear of something basic to the human condition. Christopher Cruise brings us that story. Fear of Being Laughed At⁴⁶

Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other⁴⁷. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly⁴⁸ they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny⁴⁹ that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.

Clowns⁵⁰ laugh and laugh during the 18th Latin American clown convention "Fair of Laughter" in Mexico City. (October 23, 2013). Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published⁵¹ in 2009 found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture⁵². 

People in Finland were the least likely to believe⁵³ that people laughing in their presence were making fun of⁵⁴ them. Less than ten percent of Finns⁵⁵ in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.

Some people in the study said they felt unsure⁵⁶ of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings⁵⁷ of insecurity. Others said they avoided⁵⁸ social situations where they had been laughed at before.

Vocabulary

1. Deepest = mais profundo
2. Laughter = risada
3. medicine = remédio
4. simply means that = simplesmente significa que
5. could be = poderia ser
6. mind = mente
7. what if = e se
8. hearing = ouvir
9. makes you afraid = deixa voce com medo
10. feel = sentem
11. in depth = a fundo
12. strong = forte
13. little or no danger = pouco ou nenhum perigo
14. develop = desenvolvem-se
15. childhood = infancia
16. comes from = vem de
17. Greek = Grego
18. means = significa
19. spiders = aranhas
20. heights = alturas
21. there are also = existem também
22. uncommon = incomuns
23. fear of falling asleep = medo de adormecer
24. Pope = Papa
25. goes on and on = continua indefinidamente
26. laughing matter = motive de riso
27. hold people back = segurar as pessoas
28. public speaking = falar em public
29. tongue = língua
30. may be afraid = pode ter medo
31. meetings = reuniões
32. Whether = se ou não
33. Often = frequentemente
34. describe ourselves = descrever a nós mesmos
35. scared = assustado
36. “my blood ran cold” = “meu sangue gelou”
37. “broke out into a cold sweat.” = eclodiu em um suor frio
38. Scary = assustador
39. “spine-tingling” = arrepiante
40. “hair-raising” = “de arrepiar os cabelos”
41. Shaking = sacudindo
42. former governor = ex-governador
43. nominee = pessoa nomeada
44. speech = discurso
45. shadow = sombra
46. Fear of Being Laughed At = medo de ser ridicularizado
47. talking to each other = falando uns com os outros
48. suddenly = repentinamente
49. funny = engraçado
50. clwons = palhaços
51. major study published = estudo importante publicado
52. differs from culture to culture = difere de cultura para cultura
53. the least likely to believe = Os menos prováveis em acreditar
54. making fun of = “tirando sarro de “
55. Finns = Finlandeses
56. Unsure = inseguros
57. hid their feelings = esconderam seus sentimentos
58. avoided = evitaram