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Lv 7
? asked in Social SciencePsychology · 7 years ago

What is social anxiety?

I keep seeing people talking about having social anxiety. What is it? Does it have to be diagnosed by a doctor or mental health professional? What is the difference between social anxiety and low self esteem?

2 Answers

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  • Andy C
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    Social anxiety is a term made up to describe a feeling of nervousness when around others. Low self esteem is also a made up term to describe the lack of confidence in someone.

    Your linkage of the two is apt. Both stem from the same causal behavior: not being socialized as a small child. Every human is born with a varying degree of social anxiety. A person (baby) learns how to cope best with social stimuli.

    The rise in popularity of the term is due to its increase occurrence. While the cause is yet to be determined, I will not be surprised if there is a new made up term for the feeling of anxiety due to the lack of socialization due to the lack of personal interaction due to social media.

    Source(s): When I say "made up term" I mean the word is made up to describe the real feeling.
  • Anonymous
    7 years ago

    It's when you feel like someone is judging you all the time when your out in public

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