Shyness is one of the mental states that affect the different forms of personal relationships and for many, it is considered as a sense of insecurity or shame that an individual presents when facing new social situations, a behavior that translates into a limitation of social development.
On the other hand, this characteristic has a positive aspect that has been determined thanks to the work of researchers, who concluded that the brain activity of people who experience shyness is high before certain stimuli, they see the world in a different way and analyze much more information.
Shyness can range from the subtle in social interactions to the obvious blush and the sudden inability to talk to other people. Sometimes shy people are called weird, boring and even rude. Shyness hinders social contact for fear of rejection, at least 40% of people perceive themselves as shy. However, research also shows that shy people are often more reliable, conscientious, listen more and show higher levels of apathy. In fact, many timid people choose humanitarian professions and work in roles that are not usually dominant. The social acceptance of shyness depends on the culture in which one lives. In some cases, people tend to react to shy behavior with disappointment. In others, inhibited behavior is encouraged because it favors social organization.
Social anxiety phobia.
Pathological or psychiatric shyness does not do any good for those who suffer from it. It is a really important mental disorder that needs all the resources and attention that can be offered to those suffering from it, being much more than simple shyness.
According to the latest study of these disorders that occur in the life of a person, it is the third most common mental disorder in the country. It occurs with equal frequency in men and women, appearing typically in adolescents and rarely occurs after age 25. Sometimes the history of physical and sexual abuse in childhood is associated with social anxiety disorders in adults, especially in women. Social anxiety is the fear of being judged and negatively evaluated by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, shame, humiliation and sometimes depression and consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances.
There are two types of social anxiety.
“Specific”, that is, for example, the fear to speak in front of a group and “Generalized”, in which the person is anxious, nervous and uncomfortable in almost all social situations. People with this disorder usually experience a lot of distress following certain situations: Being introduced to other people. Being annoyed or criticized. Being in the limelight. Being observed while doing something. Connecting with important people. Social meetings, especially with strangers. Interpersonal relationships whether friendly or romantic.
It is very likely that we have all had an attack of shyness at some time in our lives, either because we went to a party where we did not know anyone or why we had to leave a job interview. If you define yourself as a shy person, we assure you that you are not the only one.
Shyness indicates an active brain.
A group of scientists selected 16 people and assigned them an activity, confronting two similar images, so as to observe the details, while the researchers, in turn, examined their brain, using functional magnetic resonance. Throughout the study, shy people spent more time observing the images and showed intense activity in cerebral areas that are associated with visual and sensorial perceptions and deeper elaboration of information.
Researchers explain that thanks to the sensitivity for sensory perception (SPS) a feature that is characterized by responding internal and external stimuli, this type of person has a tendency to pay more attention to details and their brains perceive the outside world in a different way. They also need more time to observe and reflect before acting and are generally less tolerant of noise and crowds with respect to extroverts.
They are also more sensitive to caffeine and do not like being caught surprised. They are more cautious than average because they do not risk being wrong or being rejected. The shy person usually tends to believe that he does not have much value or ability but that is not the reality because many have been great scientific geniuses or writers. The main recommendation that can be given to introverts is: “not to inhibited or have negative thoughts about oneself and knowing that they are capable of achieving great things.
