<
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jun/02/how-learning-about-the-science-of-shyness-helped-me>
"On the day I received an offer from my first-choice university, I expected to
feel elation and excitement. I had spent years preparing for this moment, and
yet when it came, I felt only dread at the thought of freshers’ week and all
the social challenges this would inevitably involve.
I had always been something of a shrinking violet and the fact that I now had a
close group of friends at school did not helped to assuagemy social anxiety. I
assumed this was a stroke of extreme good luck – a one-off. The potential for
rejection seemed immense, and I feared I would spend the next few years in
loneliness.
I was wrong: I soon made new friends. Yet my shyness lingered as I embarked on
my career in journalism – a bizarre choice, I admit, for someone who felt
nervous meeting strangers and loathed the idea of networking. I found ways to
deal with those challenges, but it was only within the past few years that I
began to truly relish the chance to meet new people.
If only I had known then what I know now, my path might have been so much
easier. As a science writer, I’ve witnessed a wealth of new research that has
identified the psychological barriers that prevent us from building better
relationships. Fortunately, my deep dive into the academic literature has also
identified practical ways to build social confidence."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
