[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-50254-en":3,"doc-seo-50254-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},50254,7971461741311,"Ophelia","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/74000253aff267980c6?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779345379180704826",7,"Healthcare","What Makes Us Social Anxiety and Shyness","Shyness and social anxiety share overlapping features but differ in intensity and impact on daily life. The text explains social anxiety as a long-lasting, overwhelming fear of social situations that can lead to panic attacks, physical symptoms, avoidance, and constant worry. It also outlines how shyness involves physical, cognitive, and behavioral components, and discusses possible biological contributors such as habituation failure and sensory perception sensitivity. Practical guidance emphasizes social fitness through compassionate, CBT-based practice.","WHATMAKES US  \nSOCIALANXIETY  \nWhile shyness and social anxietyshare many traits,they are notthe same thing.According to theNHS,social anxiety(or socialphobia)is “a long-lasting andoverwhelming fear of socialsituations.\"It is an intense fearand can have a very big impacton everyday life.It's normal toworry about going into socialevents or new situations,butsocial anxiety is more severe.Itcan cause panic attacks,physicalsymptoms like feeling sick orheart palpitations,constantlyworrying about doing somethingwrong,a dislike of beingwatched and a general fearof normal everyday activitiesthat might involve interactionwith others.Social anxiety cansometimes be linked to othermental health issues too,suchas anxiety or depression.Forthose who find their shynessoverwhelming or if it's impactingon daily life,speak to your GP tosee what help is available.  \ntime alone to re-energise,turning downinvitations through choice,not worry.Shypeople often want to be able to interact withothers,to take part in events or give confidentspeeches,but find themselves unable to doso,consumed instead by a sense of dread,anxiousness or uncertainty.  \nThe late BernardoJ Carducci(1952-2018),a professor of psychology and formerdirector of the Shyness Research Institute atthe Indiana University Southeast,USA,wasan internationally recognised researcherin the field of shyness.His main area ofstudy was in finding ways to help peopleovercome their innate shyness.\"Shynesscan be defined as the presence of anxiousreactions and excessive self-consciousnessand negative self-evaluation in response to  \nreal or imagined social interactions,\"he wrotein an article for the AmericanPsychologicalAssociation in 2017.\"Specifically,theseexperiences must occur to the degree thatit produces enough discomfort to interferewith and inhibit one's ability to performsuccessfully in social situations.  \nHe identified three different components toshyness,which broadly included the physicaleffects(a raised heart rate or 'butterflies');the cognitive reactions(self-consciousness,negativity,lack of self-belief,worry thateveryone is watching,or the fear of doingsomething wrong);and finally the behavioursexhibited(avoidance of situations,notspeaking up,or limiting eye contact).  \nNature or nurture?  \nThere is evidence to suggest that somepeople are born more prone to shynessthan others,but it's not down to a specificshyness gene.A2012 study from VanderbiltUniversity(published in Social Cognitiveand Affective Neuroscience)found that theremay be a link between shyness and deficitsin two key areas of the brain:the amygdalaand hippocampus.This is caused by what isknown as habituation failure,when a persondoesn't adapt to new stimuli.Researchersmonitored the brains of the participantswhile they were shown pictures of unfamiliarfaces multiple times.For the participantsconsidered to be uninhibited,these areasof the brain were triggered when the faceswere new,but the response declined themore times they saw the same faces(aprocess called habituation).However,for theparticipants considered to be inhibited,thesame areas of the brain continued to respondto the faces,regardless of whether they werenew or being shown again.  \n\"This failure to habituate provides a novelneural mechanism for understanding the shyand cautious behaviour that is characteristicof inhibited individuals,explained thestudy's lead author,Dr Jennifer Blackford.Individuals who familiarise more slowlymay find encounters with new peopleoverwhelming and thus avoid new socialexperiences,whereas those who adjustmore quickly may be more likely toseek novel social experiences.  \nResults from an earlier study.conductedin 2010by a team of American and Chinesescientists,suggest that around 20%of peopleare borm with Sensory Perception Sensitivity(SPS).which can manifest as being inhibited.SPS may account for some cases of shyness,as well as other traits such as introversion orconditions like social anxiety.  \nBut there is much more to shyness tha","cbCaiqFZPlIjec2Y","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqFZPlIjec2Y","pdf",1363860,2,1,4,"English","en",105,"# What Social Anxiety Is\n## Symptoms and everyday impact\n# Components of Shyness\n## Physical, cognitive, and behavioral factors\n# Nature or Nurture\n## Brain mechanisms and sensory sensitivity\n# Social Fitness and Practical Change\n## Compassionate CBT-style practice","[{\"question\":\"How does social anxiety differ from everyday shyness?\",\"answer\":\"Social anxiety is described as a long-lasting and overwhelming fear of social situations, typically more severe than normal worry. It can substantially disrupt everyday life and may include panic attacks and physical symptoms.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main components of shyness?\",\"answer\":\"Shyness is presented as having physical effects (like an elevated heart rate), cognitive reactions (self-consciousness, negativity, worry about being watched), and behavioral responses (avoidance, not speaking up, limited eye contact).\"},{\"question\":\"What approach does the text recommend for improving social confidence?\",\"answer\":\"It recommends building “social fitness” through compassionate, CBT-like practice. Starting small and repeatedly engaging in manageable social challenges helps develop strategies for larger interactions over time.\"}]",1783580127,10,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":28},"what-makes-us-social-anxiety-and-shyness","",{"@graph":36,"@context":84},[37,52,67],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,47,50],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/what-makes-us-social-anxiety-and-shyness/50254/",{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":41,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-21","2026-07-09",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"How does social anxiety differ from everyday shyness?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"Social anxiety is described as a long-lasting and overwhelming fear of social situations, typically more severe than normal worry. It can substantially disrupt everyday life and may include panic attacks and physical symptoms.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"What are the main components of shyness?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"Shyness is presented as having physical effects (like an elevated heart rate), cognitive reactions (self-consciousness, negativity, worry about being watched), and behavioral responses (avoidance, not speaking up, limited eye contact).",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"What approach does the text recommend for improving social confidence?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"It recommends building “social fitness” through compassionate, CBT-like practice. Starting small and repeatedly engaging in manageable social challenges helps develop strategies for larger interactions over time.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":51,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":51},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,96,100,104,109,114,117,122,127,130,133],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},40,"healthcare",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":126},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":129},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":131,"show_sort_weight":29,"slug":132},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":134,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":135,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":136},19,"General","general"]