Differences Between Shyness and Social Anxiety Disorder

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCommon SymptomsKey DifferencesScreeningEffects of Shyness vs. Social Anxiety

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Table of Contents

Common Symptoms

Key Differences

Screening

Effects of Shyness vs. Social Anxiety

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Shyness and social anxiety disorder share many characteristics. While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different. Shyness involves feeling reserved or uncomfortable in social situations. Social anxiety, on the other hand, is more severe and causes people to experience fear and avoidance of social situations.

At a GlanceIf you have spent your whole life feeling shy, how do you know if it is something more serious? As a parent of a shy child, you might also wonder if the behavior is normal or may be signs of a disorder. Shyness and social anxiety are similar and overlap in some ways. However, shyness is normal, while social anxiety is more severe and requires treatment. Keep reading to learn more about how to tell them apart.

At a Glance

If you have spent your whole life feeling shy, how do you know if it is something more serious? As a parent of a shy child, you might also wonder if the behavior is normal or may be signs of a disorder. Shyness and social anxiety are similar and overlap in some ways. However, shyness is normal, while social anxiety is more severe and requires treatment. Keep reading to learn more about how to tell them apart.

Common Symptoms of Shyness and Social Anxiety Disorder

Shyness and social anxiety share many symptoms, such as:

Social Anxiety vs. Shyness

To distinguish between shyness and social anxiety, it is important to first understand what each of these terms mean.

Shynessis a trait that emerges in childhood and causes people to feel uncomfortable or nervous in social situations or settings.Social anxiety disorderis a mental health condition that causes people to experience symptoms of anxiety that cause them to avoid social situations.

Unfortunately,social anxiety disorder (SAD)is often dismissed as just extreme shyness. The reason many people don’t seek help for SAD is that they don’t realize that they have a recognized psychiatric condition.

Symptoms of social anxiety typically appear in childhood. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 9.1% of teens between 13 and 18 and 7.1% of adults over 18 have social anxiety disorder.Unfortunately, research suggests that people with social anxiety disorder wait an average of 10 years before seeking treatment for their condition.

Key DifferencesIn general, the main symptoms that distinguish shyness from SAD areThe impairment of functioning that it causes in a person’s lifeThe intensity of the fearThe level of avoidance

In general, the main symptoms that distinguish shyness from SAD areThe impairment of functioning that it causes in a person’s lifeThe intensity of the fearThe level of avoidance

In general, the main symptoms that distinguish shyness from SAD are

People with social anxiety disorder don’t just feel nervous before giving a speech. They may worry about the speech for weeks or months beforehand, lose sleep due to anxiety, and have intense symptoms of anxiety during the feared situation such as a racing heart,shortness of breath, sweating, or shaking.

The symptoms usually do not go away but get worse as the situation progresses. The person with SAD usually realizes that their fears are unfounded but is still unable to control them.

ShynessPersonality traitInvolves a fear of negative social evaluationComfortable with familiar peopleLess confident around unfamiliar peopleSocial AnxietyMental health conditionInvolves an intense fear of social embarrassmentExperience intense anxiety in social situationsAvoid situations that trigger fear and anxiety

ShynessPersonality traitInvolves a fear of negative social evaluationComfortable with familiar peopleLess confident around unfamiliar people

Personality trait

Involves a fear of negative social evaluation

Comfortable with familiar people

Less confident around unfamiliar people

Social AnxietyMental health conditionInvolves an intense fear of social embarrassmentExperience intense anxiety in social situationsAvoid situations that trigger fear and anxiety

Mental health condition

Involves an intense fear of social embarrassment

Experience intense anxiety in social situations

Avoid situations that trigger fear and anxiety

Screening for Social Anxiety Disorder

Your doctor or mental health care professional can conduct an in-depth interview to determine whether you meet the criteria for a diagnosis of SAD. However, as an initial step, he or she may have you complete a screening measure to determine the need for a more thorough follow-up evaluation.

Studies have shown the Mini-SPIN is an efficient tool for diagnosing SAD among people of different cultures and languages.

To complete the SPIN, your doctor will have you rate the following three items in terms of how true they are for you on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 is “not at all” and 4 is “extremely present.”

Generally, total scores of 6 or higher are indicative of possible SAD, however, only a trained mental health professional can make a diagnosis based on a full interview. In addition to the SPIN and Mini-SPIN, several other instruments may be used to screen for social anxiety disorder, including:

Childhood is whensocial skillsdevelop in preparation for the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. Both shyness and social anxiety can affect social skills and functioning in similar ways, but the effects are more severe for those with social anxiety.

Impact of Shyness

While shyness is normal, it can impact a person’s life and relationships. It can make it more difficult for kids to form friendships and socialize in school in childhood and adolescence.

Poor social success can interfere with a child’sself-esteemandconfidence. Fortunately, since shyness is less severe than social anxiety disorder, people can often find ways to cope with their more reserved, reticent nature.

It is important to recognize that shyness can turn into social anxiety. When it contributes to severe worry and avoidance of social situations, people may find their anxiety grows worse over time. Eventually, symptoms can reach a point where they become a diagnosable mental health condition.

Impact of Social Anxiety Disorder

Children who have social anxiety disorder often do not develop appropriate social behaviors. As children grow with the disorder, they may become accustomed to having social fears and create a life based on avoidance.

Social anxiety disorder can have a devastating impact on your education, career success, financial independence, and personal relationships.Often it will lead to an isolated lifestyle and subsequent depression or substance abuse.

At the same time, it is unfortunate that people wait so long or never get help when this disorder is treatable. In fact, studies show that nearly 70% of individuals suffering from SAD may be successfully treated with cognitive therapy.

Keep in Mind

If you believe that your shyness may actually be social anxiety disorder, it is important to make an appointment with your family doctor or mental health professional. Leaving symptoms untreated over a long period can worsen your anxiety and could lead to other problems such asdepressionor substance abuse.

On the other hand, effective treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication are available and have been shown to help with social anxiety disorder.

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6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.Patel TA, Schubert FT, Hom MA, Cougle JR.Correlates of treatment seeking in individuals with social anxiety disorder: Findings from a nationally representative sample.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2022;91:102616. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102616Garcia-lopez L, Moore HT.Validation and Diagnostic Efficiency of the Mini-SPIN in Spanish-Speaking Adolescents.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8):e0135862. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135862Chapdelaine A, Carrier JD, Fournier L, Duhoux A, Roberge P.Treatment adequacy for social anxiety disorder in primary care patients.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(11):e0206357. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0206357Nordahl HM, Vogel PA, Morken G, Stiles TC, Sandvik P, Wells A.Paroxetine, Cognitive Therapy or Their Combination in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder with and without Avoidant Personality Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(6):346-356. doi:10.1159/000447013

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.Patel TA, Schubert FT, Hom MA, Cougle JR.Correlates of treatment seeking in individuals with social anxiety disorder: Findings from a nationally representative sample.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2022;91:102616. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102616Garcia-lopez L, Moore HT.Validation and Diagnostic Efficiency of the Mini-SPIN in Spanish-Speaking Adolescents.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8):e0135862. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135862Chapdelaine A, Carrier JD, Fournier L, Duhoux A, Roberge P.Treatment adequacy for social anxiety disorder in primary care patients.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(11):e0206357. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0206357Nordahl HM, Vogel PA, Morken G, Stiles TC, Sandvik P, Wells A.Paroxetine, Cognitive Therapy or Their Combination in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder with and without Avoidant Personality Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(6):346-356. doi:10.1159/000447013

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.Patel TA, Schubert FT, Hom MA, Cougle JR.Correlates of treatment seeking in individuals with social anxiety disorder: Findings from a nationally representative sample.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2022;91:102616. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102616Garcia-lopez L, Moore HT.Validation and Diagnostic Efficiency of the Mini-SPIN in Spanish-Speaking Adolescents.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8):e0135862. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135862Chapdelaine A, Carrier JD, Fournier L, Duhoux A, Roberge P.Treatment adequacy for social anxiety disorder in primary care patients.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(11):e0206357. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0206357Nordahl HM, Vogel PA, Morken G, Stiles TC, Sandvik P, Wells A.Paroxetine, Cognitive Therapy or Their Combination in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder with and without Avoidant Personality Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(6):346-356. doi:10.1159/000447013

National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.

National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder.

Patel TA, Schubert FT, Hom MA, Cougle JR.Correlates of treatment seeking in individuals with social anxiety disorder: Findings from a nationally representative sample.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2022;91:102616. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102616

Garcia-lopez L, Moore HT.Validation and Diagnostic Efficiency of the Mini-SPIN in Spanish-Speaking Adolescents.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8):e0135862. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135862

Chapdelaine A, Carrier JD, Fournier L, Duhoux A, Roberge P.Treatment adequacy for social anxiety disorder in primary care patients.PLoS ONE. 2018;13(11):e0206357. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0206357

Nordahl HM, Vogel PA, Morken G, Stiles TC, Sandvik P, Wells A.Paroxetine, Cognitive Therapy or Their Combination in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder with and without Avoidant Personality Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(6):346-356. doi:10.1159/000447013

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