Abstract

Gelotophobia is defined as the fear of being laughed at. First empirical studies revealed that it is a valid and useful new concept. Furthermore, it was shown that it is of relevance among non-clinical groups and that it should be best conceptualized as a one-dimensional individual differences phenomenon. The present study presents first empirical data on the fear of being laughed at in the Czech Republic (N = 286) and in Slovakia (N = 440). It describes the adaptation of an instrument for the subjective assessment of gelotophobia to Czech and to Slovakian. The translations yielded good psychometric properties in terms of a high reliability (α ≥ .87). Especially, items referring to the avoidance of places where one has made an embarrassing impression (Czech Republic) and to controlling oneself strongly for not attracting negative attention for not making a ridiculous impression on others (Slovakia) yielded higher endorsements. Gelotophobia was not related to demographics, such as age, sex, and marital status (Czech Republic), but related to personality traits included in five-factor model. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the five broad personality dimensions explained 41% (Czech sample) and 21% (Slovak sample) of fear of being laughed at. 6.29% (Czech Republic) and 6.14% (Slovakia) of the participants exceeded a cut-off score indicating at least a slight expression of gelotophobic symptoms. The GELOPH seems to be a useful instrument for further research on gelotophobia.