The French capital is a city steeped in history and home to some of the world's top destinations. Yet some visitors fail to fully enjoy their stay here.
Despite the diversity of cultural destinations, stunning architecture and dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants, some people experience "Paris syndrome" - a psychological condition marked by nausea, hallucinations and increased heart rate when visiting the French capital.
Definition of Paris syndrome
This is a very rare psychological syndrome and is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, Paris syndrome is still recognized by many experts as a real phenomenon. Paris syndrome is an extreme form of culture shock.
Culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety and emotions such as surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc. that a person feels when exposed to a completely different culture or social environment.
According toThe Atlantic, symptoms of culture shock are similar to anxiety and mental disorders. When someone feels anxious, signals are sent to the stomach. The signals change the way the stomach and intestines process and digest food, causing a feeling of nausea.
"In particularly severe cases of anxiety – such as culture shock – the nausea can lead to vomiting and cause a host of other physical reactions such as acute paranoia, hallucinations, dizziness, sweating, and feelings of persecution.
Most cases of culture shock involve foreigners or international students who live in a new country for several months. Meanwhile, Paris syndrome occurs with short-term vacationers.
Mathieu Deflem, a sociology professor at the University of South Carolina (USA), said that tourists have a somewhat romanticized view of the City of Lights. This is mainly due to the way Paris is portrayed in films such as Amélie (2001), Before Sunset (2004) and Emily in Paris (2020) or books such as A Night at the Majestic (2006), A Moveable Feast (1964).
The works focus on art, café culture, quaint restaurants, and intelligent conversation. He believes that this expectation is unrealistic. In a 2020 study by CEOWORLD magazine, 36% of respondents rated Paris as the rudest city in Europe, twice as high as London (which came in second). In addition, the city has a host of problems to deal with, including rats, trash, graffiti, pickpockets, and unpleasant odors.
Japanese people are most susceptible to the syndrome
According to Deflem, Paris syndrome is most common among Japanese tourists. He said Japan has a very orderly and polite culture, while Parisians sometimes look down on even non-resident French people. Cultural differences, unmet romantic expectations, exhaustion, and language barriers explain why Japanese tourists are at high risk of Paris syndrome.
In 2006,NBC Newsreported about 10 tourists in serious condition requiring medical attention. That year, the Japanese embassy in Paris repatriated at least four tourists, including two women who claimed their hotel rooms had been bugged. The Japanese embassy also operates a 24-hour hotline to help foreigners experiencing the syndrome.
Paris syndrome can happen anywhere.
Do visitors to other famous, historic cities such as Vienna (Austria), New York (USA) or Beijing (China) experience similar feelings and symptoms of Paris syndrome?
Dr. Rodanthi Tzanelli (University of Leeds, UK) believes that Paris syndrome is not exclusive to the French capital. She considers it "a complex psychological phenomenon related to disappointment, even despair when reality does not match tourists' expectations."
Young people tend to travel the world more, better prepared for what they will experience in a new destination. However, Tzanelli wants to point out that no one is immune to culture shock, regardless of age or the number of countries they have visited.
"Humans are creatures of habit. We are drawn into a particular way of life, adopting behaviors and habits from our environment and becoming part of a culture and social group. When we are suddenly removed from our belief system and daily routine, people no longer have a way to shape and define who they are, when to apologize, when not to ask questions," Tzanelli analyzed.
