A population-based cohort study found that people who were diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) were less likely to meet a range of educational outcomes — from passing all of their compulsory school subjects to earning a university degree. The...
A new study, which analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of Swedes, provides evidence that regularly engaging in physical activity can decrease the risk of being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The findings have been published in Frontiers in Psychiatry....
According to a recent study, people with social anxiety spend more time editing their photos, videos, and captions on Instagram compared to those without social anxiety. The findings suggest that this is because their self-worth is more strongly tied to...
New research published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being sheds light on how personality, social media exposure, and anxiety interact to influence people’s eating behavior during the pandemic. The findings point to a pathway whereby high neuroticism paves...
A new study found that adolescents who were asked to focus their attention inward and monitor their performance during a conversation task experienced more anxiety, appeared more anxious, and performed worse as conversation partners than those who were instructed to...
The psychedelic brew known as ayahuasca could help improve the self-perception of those with social anxiety disorder, according to a controlled proof-of-concept study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Ayahuasca, a concoction used for centuries by indigenous Amazon...
In an experiment published in JMIR Mental Health, people with social anxiety disorder showed reduced social anxiety and less negative rumination following a virtual reality based exposure therapy. Moreover, this reduction in symptoms was associated with changes in brain activity...
People with clinical symptoms of anxiety disorders tend to express higher concerns about economic inequality and the environment, according to new research published in the International Journal of Psychology. The findings indicate that anxiety symptoms are slightly more common among...
According to a study published in Psychological Medicine, a fear of blood, injections, and other medical procedures can explain about 10% of cases of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United Kingdom. The researchers call for initiatives to make the vaccination...
A new scientific review published in the journal Anxiety, Stress & Coping outlines some of the challenges that people who struggle with social anxiety might experience amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in 2020, governments...
According to findings published in the journal BMC Psychiatry, people with social anxiety demonstrate higher levels of trait anger accompanied by a stronger tendency to suppress anger. The analysis further suggested that these anger regulation difficulties might have something to...
Research on anxiety and depression tends to center around individuals with clinical-level symptoms. This is understandable, as there is arguably greater urgency to find workable solutions for these populations. However, otherwise mentally healthy individuals also experience anxiety from time to...
Experiencing an anxiety-provoking social situation from another person’s perspective — through a role reversal task — helps people with social anxiety disorder correct their negative beliefs about being judged by others. These findings come from a new study published in...
A study published in Frontiers in Psychology explored risk-taking behavior among people with and without social anxiety. Under high stress, people with low social anxiety took more risks on a decision-making task, while those with high social anxiety remained cautious...
A study published in BMC Psychology found evidence that mothers’ pretend play may protect children from behavioral difficulties two years later. The study additionally found that mothers with anxiety engage in less pretend play with their children, and their children...