People who suffer from social anxiety tend to be less secure in their friendships. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology has found that these feelings are usually unjustified.
Researchers invited 112 volunteers into their lab. Some suffered from social anxiety disorders, some didn’t. All the volunteers brought a platonic friend. Researchers interviewed the sets of friends about each other. The people with social anxiety tended to report that their friendships were worse, but the friends they brought didn’t see it that way at all. Researchers said, “Their friends seem to say something more like: ‘It’s different, but not worse.’”
What do they mean by ‘different’? Well, mainly the people who were friends with the social anxiety sufferers understood that their friends were suffering and tended to see them as more submissive. That’s all, though.
So, if you’re suffering, remember: people probably like you more than you think they do. And there’s always help.
