Episode 05 · Coming soon · 0:50

Introversion vs social anxiety.

"Introversion is temperament — social situations cost energy, no fear involved. Social anxiety is fear of evaluation. Different mechanisms, different responses to treatment."

Episode hero

Timestamps

0:00The distinction
0:04What introversion actually is
0:18What social anxiety is
0:34Why it matters clinically

Resources mentioned

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder — meta-analysis · Mayo-Wilson et al. 2014 (Lancet Psychiatry)
Strong evidence base for CBT in social anxiety, supporting the "responds to treatment" claim.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking · Susan Cain
Useful counterweight to the assumption that introversion is a problem.

Take-aways

01Temperament costs energy. Anxiety adds fear.

Same external avoidance, two different internal mechanisms.

02You can be either, both, or neither.

Introverted extroverts with social anxiety exist. The labels combine in real lives.

03One needs nothing fixed. The other responds to treatment.

CBT for social anxiety has strong evidence. Introversion is not a target.

myth-bustingtemperamentanxietydefinitions