How does social phobia affect our lives?

Social phobia is one of the types of phobia for which people go to psychotherapy the most. However, some people are not aware that they are developing it and believe that it is a characteristic more of their way of being, or they refuse to face that they have a problem for which it is necessary to go to professionals.

In this article we will see the ways in which social phobia impacts people's quality of life, to make it easier to detect the appearance of this psychological alteration and to intervene as soon as possible from psychotherapy. In addition, in this way we will review the implications of letting a disorder of these characteristics grow in us.

• Related article: "Social phobia: what is it and how to overcome it?"

How does social phobia affect us?

This is a summary of the different ways in which social phobia erodes the quality of life of the people who develop it.

1. It complicates the day to day by avoidance routines

People with social phobia They adopt their habits of avoidance, as far as possible, in contact with people with whom they do not have a certain confidence

. This happens, for example, by trying to buy without leaving home, ordering online.

2. Makes it almost impossible to meet new people

The implications of this effect of social phobia include not being able to expand the circle of friends, as well as meeting people with whom to start a possible love relationship.

3. Wear physical health

Social phobia not only has harmful effects on the mental health of the person; also has a negative impact on physical health, because favors social isolation and sedentary lifestyleas well as increased exposure to addictions or anxiety-reducing activities that are not good for the body, such as compulsions, binges, trichotillomania, etc.

4. Generates a constant fear of rejection

Although the social life of people with this disorder is very poor, despite it the fear of being a victim of rejection or ridicule does not stop.

How to distinguish it from shyness?

The easiest way to understand the difference between social phobia and shyness is to understand that the latter is a personality characteristic that in some people is expressed consistently over the years or so from adolescence.

On the other hand, as we have seen, social phobia has a very important learned and context-bound componentas it is based in part on expectations about available social support, and may also have been developed on the basis of traumatic experiences that lead the person to feel very vulnerable and emotionally disconnected from the way others experience the lifetime.

Shy people do not have a high enough probability of presenting psychological disorders, whereas social phobia is associated with having a high risk of developing this class of disorders. Specifically, these individuals are more exposed to depression, addictions, other anxiety disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Finally, the way in which shyness is expressed also differs from that of social phobia. In situations of interaction with unknown or semi-unfamiliar people, people with social phobia suffer symptoms that can never be hidden, and that often seriously hamper communication, such as breathing problems, tachycardia or tremors, while those who are shy reveal this in more subtle ways, such as through facial flushing, the tendency to avoid eye contact or cold sweats in cases where there are many nerves.

On the other hand, shyness is mainly expressed in moments of social interactionWhile social phobia also expresses its symptoms when no one is around. This is so because those who have developed this disorder tend to adopt strategies to avoid exposing themselves to others as much as possible.

• You may be interested: "Extreme shyness: what it is, causes, and how to overcome it"

The importance of seeking help in psychotherapy

Fortunately, social phobia can be addressed from psychotherapy, which is effective in reducing symptoms until they are weak enough that the person can enjoy a full social life if other disorders are not involved.

The professionals of the Psychode Psychology Institute We are trained in treating all types of anxiety disorders, including social phobia and shyness problems that do not constitute a diagnosable psychological disorder. You can find us in our centers in Madrid and Alicante. To contact us or see more information about our services, click this link.

Bibliographic references:

• Chavira, D. TO.; Stein, M. B.; Malcarne, V. L. (2002). "Scrutinizing the relationship between shyness and social phobia". Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 16 (6): pp. 585 - 598.
• Torgrud, L. J., Walker, J. R., Murray, L., Cox, B. J., Chartier, M. and Kjernisted, K. D. (2004). Deficits in perceived social support associated with generalized social phobia. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 33 (2): pp. 87 - 96.