Is social anxiety prevalent in the West? (therapy, feelings, people)

[Ro2113]

Does anyone think that social anxiety has become more prevalent in the western world? And if so why?

I guess I bring this up because, well at least on the internet, there's seems to be a boatloads of people who are apprehensive towards socializing with other people. I'm very interested in hearing opinions as to what is causing so much social anxiety.

[plmokn]

I don't think it has.

[Ruth4Truth]

maybe after it finally got diagnosed and understood, there's been more discussion and awareness of it.

[RockJock1729]

Originally Posted by Ro2113

Does anyone think that social anxiety has become more prevalent in the western world? And if so why?

I guess I bring this up because, well at least on the internet, there's seems to be a boatloads of people who are apprehensive towards socializing with other people. I'm very interested in hearing opinions as to what is causing so much social anxiety.

It depends on what you mean by "social anxiety". There's a spectrum on forms ranging from merely feeling uneasy talking to strangers up to a debilitating clinical condition. It also depends on where, when and over what priod of time you look at the prevalence of social anxiety.

I think people in America have become more wary of strangers over the last, say, 20 years. But I don't think the percentage of people meeting DSM criteria for social phobia is necessarily significantly higher. (I could be wrong about that; I don't have any statistics at hand, but I don't think it's the case.)

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by Ro2113

Does anyone think that social anxiety has become more prevalent in the western world? And if so why?

I guess I bring this up because, well at least on the internet, there's seems to be a boatloads of people who are apprehensive towards socializing with other people. I'm very interested in hearing opinions as to what is causing so much social anxiety.

I can't speak for the western world as a whole, but I think social anxiety has likely increased in the United States for a variety of reasons. I don't feel like trying to explain, but hopefully somebody else does.

[Sugah Ray]

Originally Posted by Ro2113

Does anyone think that social anxiety has become more prevalent in the western world? And if so why?

I guess I bring this up because, well at least on the internet, there's seems to be a boatloads of people who are apprehensive towards socializing with other people. I'm very interested in hearing opinions as to what is causing so much social anxiety.

Who knows, how can we accuraly measure social anxiety in populations? Suicide statistics? Before people didn't have computers to voice their anxieties. They also had to interact more with others to get their basic needs, so maybe it wasn't that they were not as anxious but that they didn't have any other choice than to talk to others.

But then we have the argument that diagnosing people with anxieties or labeling people predisposes them to behave in a certain way in the future and sets them up for failure. But then we can say good cognitive therapy can help people manage their feelings better through self awareness and minimize anxiety.

I don't know the answer. I think it's probably about the same but I don't have enough evidence to support my claim

[s1alker]

I had pretty bad social anxiety due to shutting myself in on the PC for years during my teens to mid 20s. Once I was forced by necessity to interact with the outside world it subsided pretty well. I'm still hardly sociable or outgoing, but I'm not as afraid of people or the outside world like I once was.