When shock and disappointment take over

We all know that feeling of arriving at a place we’ve been planning to visit for years and it doesn’t live up to our expectations. So it makes sense that this phenomenon has a name in one of the most visited cities in one of the most visited countries in the world: Paris Syndrome.

What is Paris syndrome and what causes it?

This is a real, psychologically known condition, identified as a severe culture shock, leading to… The Independent described as hallucinations, rapid heart rate, dizziness and nausea, defined by psychiatrist Hiroaki Ota in the 1980s.

Imagine expecting the equivalent of the Champs-Élysées and the grand boulevards designed by Haussmann, only to realize that not all Parisian streets are alike, and that you may have idealized the city too much in your dreams. Sometimes the language barrier is difficult to overcome and the cultural differences too pronounced to be easily ignored – experiences exacerbated by homesickness and travel fatigue.

What can Paris syndrome look like?

In 2011, Atlantic It was reported that at least 20 people suffered from Paris syndrome during that summer, mostly Japanese, because when they first arrived they discovered that Paris was simply not what they thought it was.

Paris syndrome is more commonly reported among Japanese tourists visiting the City of Lights, perhaps due to an over-romanticization of Paris. Reuters In 2007, it was reported that up to a dozen Japanese tourists each year sought psychological help because “the reality of hostile residents and poorly maintained streets conflicts with their expectations.” That year, the Japanese embassy in Paris repatriated four visitors who were convinced their hotel rooms were bugged.

Of course, anyone can suffer from Paris syndrome based on their own disappointments about how the idealized version of the city matches up with reality. Reddit has “What’s your personal Paris syndrome moment?” threads on everything from cultural differences in smoking to differences in how trash is handled. Others have noted that they suffer from reverse Paris syndrome: they’ve heard so many negative things about Paris that when they go there, their real-life experience is very pleasant.

Oxford Academic reports another rare psychological phenomenon among visitors arriving in another well-known geographical space, dubbed “psychogeography” – the Jerusalem syndrome – where pilgrims and tourists imagine themselves to be biblical or messianic figures.

THE BBC According to reports, doctors at the Israeli mental health center Kfer Shaul treat 100 tourists a year, a mix of Christians, Jews and Muslims, suffering from some form of psychosis (about 40 of them need to be hospitalized). Anyone suffering from it will see and hear things that are not there and become very paranoid.

Similarly, a similar thing can happen to visitors to Florence from a slightly different reaction: Stendhal syndrome (sometimes called aesthetic syndrome) occurs when visitors are confronted with works of art or architecture so superb that they experience palpitations and perhaps paranoia. BBC For example, a woman in her forties believed that the figures in the frescoes in the Strozzi Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria Novella were pointing at her. Another artist in his seventies believed he was being watched by international airlines a few minutes after arriving on the Ponte Vecchio.

How to avoid Paris syndrome as a first-time visitor?

Traveling is demanding, both physically and mentally. It is therefore best to take all the necessary precautions to be in the best shape when you arrive: drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, especially during the scorching summers in Europe, follow all the advice to reduce the impact of jet lag, do not overload your itinerary so as not to exhaust yourself and be aware of the impact of any medication you are taking.

Paris is best known, and rightly so, for its beautiful boulevards, markets, historic sites and culinary experiences, but it needs to live and breathe: it has trash, the metro can be very busy and customer service is not always king, because it is, at the end of the day, a city like any other.