A、The chances of being laughed at in different cultures. B、The relations between the fear of being laughed at and people’s cultu

Shy people often avoid situations that force close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make others laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others about being the target of laughter. These people are frightened. Victor Johnson is an expert on human behavior at the University of Madrid. He says people laugh at others for many different reasons. He says being laughed at causes a fear response in the victim. That fear leads the victim to avoid social situations. Mr. Johnson was among researchers in a huge international study about laughter. The researchers wanted to measure the fear of being laughed at within different cultures. A team led 93 researchers from many countries in search of answers. The researchers questioned more than 22 000 people. Some of the people questioned said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations. But they hid their feelings. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. Fear of being laughed at, being made fun of, is a common emotion. But the researchers learned that these feelings differed from nation to nation. For example, the study found that people in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. In Thailand, however, 80% of those questioned said they believed they were objects of laughter.
20. Why do shy people avoid contacting with others?
21. What did the researchers in the team want to know?
22. What did the research team find?