• Question: why do we get shy ?

    Asked by rachelbowesxx to Amy, Drew, Julia, Kimberley, Sara on 20 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Drew Rae

      Drew Rae answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi Rachel. I’ve always been very shy, and I wish there was a good explanation. Some if it is from a thing called “social anxiety” – overthinking the best or right way to be acting. One book I found interesting is called the “Feeling Good Handbook” by David Burns. It looks like one of those over-hyped self-help books, but it’s more a lay person’s introduction to Cognitive Therapy, which is a good insight into how and why people’s thoughts work like they do.

    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Its a complex thing rachel and I’m not sure there are definitive reasons. Some people are naturally more shy than others from birth and some people become more shy because of experiences that they have had in life which cause them to retreat more from extrovert behaviour. There is probably both genetic and environmental reasons for it!

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