Social anxiety

This article is about the emotion. For the disorder, see Social anxiety disorder.
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Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings (i.e., interacting with others).[1] Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.[1] Individuals with higher levels of social anxiety often avert their gazes, show fewer facial expressions, and show difficulty with initiating and maintaining a conversation.[1] Social anxiety commonly manifests itself in the teenage years and can be persistent throughout life; however, people who experience problems in their daily functioning for an extended period of time can develop social anxiety disorder. Trait social anxiety, the stable tendency to experience this anxiety, can be distinguished from state anxiety, the momentary response to a particular social stimulus.[2] Half of the individuals with any social fears meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder.[3] Age, culture, and gender impact the severity of this disorder.[4] The function of social anxiety is to increase arousal and attention to social interactions, inhibit unwanted social behavior, and motivate preparation for future social situations.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Schneier, Franklin R; Blanco, Carlos; Antia, Smita X; Liebowitz, Michael R (2002). "The social anxiety spectrum". Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 25 (4): 757–774. doi:10.1016/s0193-953x(02)00018-7. PMID 12462859.
  2. ^ Spielberger, C.D. (1983). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
  3. ^ Ruscio, A. M.; Brown, T. A.; Chiu, W. T.; Sareen, J.; Stein, M. B.; Kessler, R. C. (2008-01-01). "Social fears and social phobia in the USA: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication". Psychological Medicine. 38 (1): 15–28. doi:10.1017/S0033291707001699. ISSN 1469-8978. PMC 2262178. PMID 17976249.
  4. ^ Hofmann, Stefan G.; Asnaani, Anu; Hinton, Devon E. (2010). "Cultural Aspects in Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder". Depression and Anxiety. 27 (12): 1117–27. doi:10.1002/da.20759. PMC 3075954. PMID 21132847.