What caused shyness and what can be done about it?

Shyness, which can be anxious or self-conscious, is typically a discomfort during social interactions, possibly stemming from a range of causes like fear of evaluation, privacy breaches, or teasing. In contrast, social anxiety disorder is an extreme form of social discomfort that significantly impairs daily functioning. Overcoming these forms of social discomfort can involve gradual, structured exposure to feared situations.

Shyness is a common experience associated with discomfort in social settings, and according to Arnold Buss, it can be categorized into anxious shyness and self-conscious shyness. Anxious shyness is characterized by the fear of face-to-face interactions, which can stem from strangers, novel settings, the fear of evaluation, or fear of self-presentation, leading to chronic fear, low sociability, low self-esteem, loneliness, and avoidance conditioning. In contrast, self-conscious shyness involves feeling conspicuous or exposed, often beginning with experiences of conspicuousness, privacy breaches, or teasing, and can develop into socialization issues, public self-consciousness, a history of teasing, low self-esteem, negative self-appearance, and poor social skills.

An effective approach to overcoming social anxiety disorder, which differs from shyness by its greater intensity and interference with normal life, involves exposure to feared social situations. For example, those afraid of public speaking could start by talking in front of a small, supportive audience and gradually increase the audience size. Additionally, engaging in structured small talk scenarios or practicing activities like writing or eating in front of others in a controlled environment might help individuals overcome their fears.

While shyness is a general discomfort in social interactions, social anxiety disorder presents a more extreme form of discomfort and often results in significant distress and impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Some evolutionary developmental psychologists suggest that traits like shyness may have genetic components that historically increased survival rates. However, it's crucial to note that while some level of anxiety can be motivating, when it interferes with one's ability to function, as in social phobia, it becomes a concern that may require intervention.