View source for Shyness

{{Redirect|Shy}}
{{Multiple issues
 | refimprove=April 2009
 | globalize=May 2010
}}
In [[human]]s, '''shyness''' (also called '''diffidence''') is a [[social psychology]] term used to describe the [[feeling]] of [[fear|apprehension]], [[discomfort|lack of comfort]], or [[awkwardness]] experienced when a person is in [[proximity]] to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people. Shyness may come from genetic traits, the environment in which a person is raised, or a combination of both. Some people with shyness have [[social anxiety]] problems or [[social phobia]]. But many people with shyness do not have these problems. Shyness may merely be a personality trait or can occur at certain stages of development in children. Shyness can also be cultural (adherence to certain norms of behavior in some [[cultures]]).

In [[biology]], '''shy''' generally means "tends to avoid human beings"; ''See [[crypsis]]''. ''Shyness'' in [[gorillas]] manifests with ostensibly similar behavioral traits, but differs wholly from humans in cognition and motivation.

==Triggers, traits and misperception==
[[File:Girl with scarf blushing.jpg|thumb|A lack of eye contact is often perceived as a sign of shyness in the [[Western culture]].]]
Shyness is most likely to occur during unfamiliar situations, though in severe cases it may hinder an individual in his or her most familiar situations and relationships as well. Admitting feelings may become difficult for the individual.  Shy people avoid the objects of their apprehension in order to keep from feeling uncomfortable and inept; thus, the situations remain unfamiliar and the shyness perpetuates itself.  Shyness may fade with time; e.g., a [[child]] who is shy towards [[wiktionary:stranger#Noun|strangers]] may eventually lose this trait when [[maturity|older]] and more socially adept. This often occurs by adolescence or young adulthood (generally around the age of 13). In some cases, though, it may become an integrated, life-long [[character trait]]. Humans experience shyness to different degrees and in different areas.  For example, an actor may be loud and bold on stage, but shy in an interview.  In addition, shyness may manifest when one is in the company of certain people and completely disappear when with others— one may be outgoing with [[friends]] and [[family]], but experience [[love-shyness]] toward potential partners, even if strangers are generally not an obstacle.

The condition of true shyness may simply involve the discomfort of difficulty in knowing what to say in [[social]] situations, or may include crippling physical manifestations of uneasiness. Shyness usually involves a combination of both symptoms, and may be quite devastating for the sufferer, in many cases leading them to feel that they are boring, or exhibit bizarre behavior in an attempt to create interest, alienating them further. Behavioral traits in social situations such as [[smiling]], easily producing suitable [[conversation]]al topics, assuming a relaxed [[Human position|posture]] and making good [[eye contact]], which come spontaneously for the average person{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}, may not be second nature for a shy person. Such people might only effect such traits by great difficulty, or they may even be impossible to display. Shyness is considered to be a neutral [[personality trait]] by people who are not shy, but a very negative trait by those who are shy themselves{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}.  In fact, those who are shy are actually perceived more negatively because of the way they act towards others.  Shy individuals are often distant during conversations, which may cause others to create poor impressions of them, simply adding to their shyness in social situations.

===Complications===

The term ''shyness'' may be implemented as a lay blanket-term for a family of related and partially overlapping afflictions, including [[timidity]] (apprehension in meeting new people), bashfulness and diffidence (lack of assertiveness), apprehension and anticipation (general fear of potential interaction), or intimidation (relating to the object of fear rather than one's low confidence).[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shy] Apparent shyness, as perceived by others, may simply be the manifestation of reservation or [[introversion]], character traits which cause an individual to voluntarily avoid excessive social contact or be terse in communication, but are not motivated or accompanied by discomfort, apprehension, or lack of confidence.

Rather, according to [[Bernardo J. Carducci]], director of the [http://homepages.ius.edu/bcarducc/shynesspage.htm Shyness Research Institute], introverts ''choose'' to avoid social situations because they derive no reward from them, or may find surplus sensory input overwhelming.  Conversely, shy people may fear such situations and feel that they "should" avoid them. [http://psychcentral.com/library/shyness.htm] Shy people tend to perceive their own shyness as a negative trait, and many people are uneasy with shyness in others, especially in cultures which value [[individuality]] and taking charge.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} This generally poor reception of shyness may be misinterpreted by the suffering individual as aversion related to his or her personality, rather than simply to his or her shyness. Both conditions can lead to a compounding of a shy individual's low [[self-confidence]].

In cultures that value outspokenness and overt confidence, shyness can be perceived as weakness.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} To an unsympathetic observer, a shy individual may be mistaken as cold, distant, arrogant or aloof, which can be frustrating for the shy individual.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} However in other cultures, shy people may be perceived as being thoughtful, intelligent, as being good listeners, and as being more likely to think before they speak{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}}. Furthermore, [[boldness]], the opposite of shyness, may cause its own problems, such as impertinence or inappropriate behavior.

==Origins==

The initial causes of shyness vary.  Scientists have located some genetic data that supports the [[hypothesis]] that shyness is at least partially genetic.  However, there is also evidence that the environment in which a person is raised can affect his or her shyness. This includes [[child abuse]], particularly [[emotional abuse]] such as ridicule. Shyness can originate after a person has experienced a physical [[anxiety]] reaction; at other times, shyness seems to develop first and then later causes physical symptoms of anxiety.  Shyness differs from [[social anxiety]], which is a broader, often [[clinical depression|depression]]-related psychological condition including the experience of [[fear]], apprehension or worrying about being evaluated by others in social situations to the extent of inducing [[panic]].

===Genetics and heredity===

The genetics of shyness is a relatively small area of research that has been receiving an even smaller amount of attention, although papers on the biological bases of shyness date back to 1988. Some research has indicated that shyness and [[aggression]] are related—through long and short forms of the [[gene]] DRD4, though considerably more research on this is needed.  Further, it has been suggested that shyness and [[social anxiety|social phobia]] (the distinction between the two is becoming ever more blurred) are related to [[obsessive-compulsive disorder]]. As with other studies of [[behavioral genetics]], the study of shyness is complicated by the number of genes involved in, and the confusion in defining, the [[phenotype]].  Naming the phenotype – and translation of terms between genetics and [[psychology]] — also causes problems.  In some research, "behavioral inhibition" is studied, in others anxiety or social inhibition is.  One solution to this problem is to study the genetics of underlying traits, such as "anxious temperament."

Several genetic links to shyness are current areas of research.  One is the [[serotonin]] transporter promoter region polymorphism ([[5-HTTLPR]]), the long form of which has been shown to be modestly correlated with shyness in grade school children.<ref name="ArbelleS2003Relation">{{Cite journal
 | author = [[Shoshana Arbelle]], [[Jonathan Benjamin]], [[Moshe Golin]], [[Ilana Kremer]], [[Robert H. Belmaker]] & [[Richard P. Ebstein]]
 | title = Relation of shyness in grade school children to the genotype for the long form of the serotonin transporter promoter region polymorphism
 | journal = [[The American journal of psychiatry]]
 | volume = 160
 | issue = 4
 | pages = 671–676
 | year = 2003
 | month = April
 | pmid = 12668354
 | doi = 10.1176/appi.ajp.160.4.671
}}</ref>
Previous studies had shown a connection between this form of the gene and both obsessive-compulsive disorder and [[autism]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}
[[Model organism#Vertebrates|Mouse model]]s have also been used, to derive genes suitable for further study in humans; one such gene, the [[L-glutamic acid decarboxylase|glutamic acid decarboxylase]] gene (which encodes an [[enzyme]] that functions in [[Gamma-aminobutyric acid|GABA synthesis]]), has so far been shown to have some association with behavioral inhibition.

Another gene, the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) exon III polymorphism, had been the subject of studies in both shyness and aggression, and is currently the subject of studies on the "novelty seeking" trait.  A 1996 study of anxiety-related traits (shyness being one of these) remarked that, "Although twin studies have indicated that individual variation in measures of anxiety-related personality traits is 40-60% heritable, none of the relevant genes has yet been identified," and that "10 to 15 genes might be predicted to be involved" in the anxiety trait.  Progress has been made since then, especially in identifying other potential genes involved in personality traits, but there has been little progress made towards confirming these relationships.
The long version of the 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) is now postulated to be correlated with shyness,<ref name="ArbelleS2003Relation"/>
but in the 1996 study, the short version was shown to be related to anxiety-based traits.  This confusion and contradiction does not oppose the genetic basis of personality traits, but does emphasize the amount of research there is still to be done before the bases of even one or two of these characteristics can be identified.

===As symptom of mercury poisoning===

Excessive shyness, embarrassment, self consciousness and timidity, social-phobia and lack of self-confidence are also components of [[erethism]], which is a symptom complex that appears in cases of [[mercury poisoning]]<ref>WHO (1976) Environmental Health Criteria 1: Mercury, Geneva, [[World Health Organization]], 131 pp.</ref><ref>WHO. Inorganic mercury. Environmental Health Criteria 118. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1991.</ref>.  Mercury poisoning was common among hat makers in England in the 18th and 19th centuries, who used mercury to stabilize wool into felt fabric.

==Shyness as pathology==
Shyness as a psychiatric illness made its debut as "[[social phobia]]" in [[DSM-III]] in 1980, but was then described as rare.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} By 1994, however, when [[DSM-IV]] was published, it had become "[[social anxiety disorder]]" and was now said to be extremely common.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} This process has been adverted to as a case study of "[[Disease mongering|disease-mongering]]" in psychiatry<ref>Lane, Christopher (2008), ''Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness'', [[Yale University Press]].</ref>. One drug company product manager has been quoted as saying, "Every marketer's dream is to find an unidentified or unknown market and develop it. That's what we were able to do with social anxiety disorder"<ref>[[Marcia Angell|Angell, Marcia]] (2009), "Drug Companies & Doctors: A Story of Corruption", ''[[New York Review of Books]]'', Vol 56, No 1; 15 January 2009.</ref>.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Psychology}}
* [[Boldness]]
* [[Love-shyness]]
* [[Introversion]]
* [[People skills]]
* [[Social anxiety]]
* [[Social anxiety disorder]]
* [[Social phobia]]
* [[Selective mutism]]
* [[Avoidant personality disorder]]
* [[Highly sensitive person]]
* [[Schizoid Personality Disorder]]
* [[Medicalization]] of behaviors as illness

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*Kluger, A. N.; Siegfried, Z.; Epbstein, R. P.: A meta-analysis of the association between DRD4 polymorphism and novelty seeking. Molecular Psychiatry 2002; 7: 712-717.
*Lesch, Klaus-Peter; Bengal, Dietmar; Heils, Armin; Sabol, Sue Z.; Greenberg, Benjamin D.; Petri, Susanne; Benjamin, Jonathan; Muller, Clemens R.; Hamer, Dean H.; Murphy, Dennis L.: Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region. Science 1996; 274(5292): 1527-1531.
*Miller, Rowland S.: Perlman, Daniel.; Brehn, Sharon S.: Intimate Relationships. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2007; 430.
*Smoller, Jordan W.; Rosenbaum, Jerold F.; Biederman, Joseph; Susswein, Lisa S.; Kennedy, John; Kagan, Jerome; Snidman, Nancy; Laird, Nan; Tsuang, Ming T.; Faraone, Stephen V.; Schwarz, Alysandra; Slaugenhaupt, Susan A.: Genetic association analysis of behavioral inhibition using candidate loci from mouse models. American Journal of Medical Genetics 2001; 105: 226-235.

{{Refend}}
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* [[Crozier, W. R.]], ''Understanding Shyness: Psychological Perspectives'', Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2001. ISBN 0333773713

* [[Philip Zimbardo|Zimbardo, Philip G.]], [http://books.google.com/books?id=IU-YYV3IJxMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Shyness "Shyness: What It Is, What to Do about It"], Da Capo Press, 1990. ISBN 0201550180.

==External links==
* [http://www.shyness.com/encyclopedia.html Lynn Henderson and Philip Zimbardo: "Shyness".  Entry in ''Encyclopedia of Mental Health'', Academic Press, San Diego, CA  (in press)]
* [http://www.dontcallmeshy.com/ Don't Call Me Shy: Help For Parents of Shy Children]
* [http://asp.cumc.columbia.edu/SAD/ Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR)]+
* [http://www.shyunited.com/ SHY United - Information and support site with articles and community forums / chat room for shy people experience shyness and social anxiety]
* [http://www.howtogetridofshyness.net/ How to Get Rid of Shyness - Help to Overcome Shyness and Social Anxiety]
* [http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/anxietyphobias/shynessandsocialphobia.aspx Shyness and Social Phobia - information from mental health charity The Royal College of Psychiatrists]
* [http://www.healsocialanxiety.com/ Social Anxiety Anonymous / Social Phobics Anonymous - International network of 12 Step support groups for people suffering from shyness problems and/or social anxiety disorder/social phobia]

{{Spoken Wikipedia|Shyness.ogg|2006-12-17}}
{{Emotion-footer}}

[[Category:Social psychology]]
[[Category:Symptoms]]

[[ar:خجل]]
[[bg:Притеснителност]]
[[ca:Timidesa]]
[[da:Generthed]]
[[de:Schüchternheit]]
[[es:Timidez]]
[[fr:Timidité]]
[[it:Timidezza]]
[[lt:Drovumas]]
[[nl:Verlegenheid]]
[[ja:人見知り]]
[[pl:Nieśmiałość]]
[[pt:Timidez]]
[[ro:Timiditate]]
[[ru:Застенчивость]]
[[fi:Ujous]]
[[sv:Blyghet]]
[[te:సిగ్గు]]
[[tr:Çekingenlik]]
[[Category:2Fix]]