Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is “an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others,” and according to the National Institutes of Mental Health affects approximately 7% of the population.
Naturally, the more severe the SAD, the more debilitating it is.
If you feel intense fear of being watched and judged by others, you’re going to avoid those situations, which means you’ll be spending a lot of time alone.
But if you know someone with SAD, you probably know how deeply conflicted many with SAD are, because they often want to be with others.
Introversion doesn’t keep them home.
Fear does.
And as you isolate, it can have debilitating effects and raise your risk for developing other mood disorders and health problems.
Now a new study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders confirms what you’ve probably found, anecdotally, to be true — most people with SAD are happier when they’re around people than when they’re alone.
You can read the study details here, but Mark Travers has a good breakdown here.
And the gist is this.
Researchers followed individuals with SAD and a placebo group over a two week period, and folks with SAD reported they were happier when they were with others than when they were alone (so did the placebo group).
In other words, the study suggests that people with social anxiety disorder are actually happier when they’re in social situations than when alone.
Now I can already guess your next question.
How did they define “social situation?”
Well, that’s the important part.
People with SAD reported the most happiness when they were with romantic partners and close friends than when they were with coworkers, neighbors, or superiors. Or alone.
In other words, social situations where they’d be less likely to fear judgment and more likely to feel accepted.
So that part isn’t a surprise.
But it’s important to remember that, as the authors concluded, “even those with a mental illness defined by interpersonal distress can and do derive positive emotions from social interactions.”
And this is the most important finding:
“Feeling anxious or concerned about socializing does not preclude experiencing pleasure while socializing.”
As an introvert, I kind of loathe when extroverts push, “Go out tonight! You’ll enjoy it!” There’s a good chance I will because I like being with people, but an even better chance I’ll enjoy time with a book, somewhere deserted and lonely but the good kind of lonely.
So I worry extroverts will use this study, irresponsibly, to bash introverts over the head. But this isn’t about introversion.
In reality, it’s a hopeful reminder to those with social anxiety disorder to a) recognize that they can experience greater happiness in social situations than they think and b) therefore, get help.
Presumably, with help, they’d fear those situations less, participate in them more, and be happier for it.
And speaking of help, here are some tips for living with social anxiety disorder.
Also…
Here’s a psychiatrist near you.
And a therapist.
[Photo: Midnight in Paris]
