Social anxiety
[11] It is common for sufferers of social phobia to self-medicate in this fashion, especially if they are undiagnosed, untreated, or both; this can lead to alcoholism, eating disorders or other kinds of substance abuse.
[14] Cognitive advances and increased pressures in late childhood and early adolescence result in repeated social anxiety.
Some children with social anxiety may act out because of their fear, or they may exhibit nervousness or crying in an event where they feel anxious.
[17] Criteria that distinguish between clinical and nonclinical forms of social anxiety include the intensity and level of behavioral and psychosomatic disruption (discomfort) in addition to the anticipatory nature of the fear.
[18] Blushing is the involuntary reddening of the face, neck, and chest in reaction to evaluation or social attention.
[19] Blushing occurs not only in response to feelings of embarrassment but also other socially-oriented emotions such as shame, guilt, shyness, and pride.
[18] Individuals with social anxiety might also refrain from making eye contact, or constantly fiddling with things during conversations or public speaking.
Other indicators are physical symptoms which may include rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, dizziness and lightheadedness, stomach trouble and diarrhea, unable to catch a breath, and “out of body” sensation.
Participants respond to the probe by pressing a button and differences in reaction times reveal attentional biases.
For example, once in a feared social situation, a socially-anxious individual may avoid eye contact, speaking to strangers, or eating in front of others.
[27] Safety behaviors meant to make an individual feel safer have been found to most often enforce or validate anxious feelings, thus leading to a cycle in which the safety behavior is thought to be needed and the trigger's perceived threat is never challenged.
Other measures of social anxiety include diagnostic interviews, clinician-administered instruments, and behavioral assessments.
Treatment is made more effective by considering individual patients’ backgrounds and needs and often by combining behavioral and pharmacological interventions.
The cognitive and behavioral components seek to change thought patterns and physical reactions to anxiety-inducing situations.
The cognitive part of CBT helps individuals with social anxiety challenge unhelpful thoughts and allow new patterns of positive or realistic thinking.
The behavioral component involves taking action to challenge the identified negative thoughts, such as participating in an anxiety-inducing activity that isn't dangerous in reality.
[40] The attention given to social anxiety disorder has significantly increased since 1999 with the approval and marketing of drugs for its treatment.
Other treatments that individuals with social anxiety may find helpful include massages, meditation, mindfulness, hypnotherapy, and acupuncture.
The trait is characterized by "a tendency to 'pause to check' in novel situations, greater sensitivity to subtle stimuli, and the engagement of deeper cognitive processing strategies for employing coping actions, all of which is driven by heightened emotional reactivity, both positive and negative".
Genetic inheritance of a high level of sensory processing sensitivity may increase an individual's awareness of social situations and their potential consequences.
Living in a group is attractive to humans as there are more people to provide labor and protection, and there is a concentration of potential mates.
[46][47] Any perceived threat to group resources should leave an individual on guard, as should any potential position of status that might bring conflict with others.
[48] Humans are physiologically sensitive to social cues and therefore detect changes in interactions which may indicate dissatisfaction or unpleasant reactions.
