A recent study published in Social Psychology and Personality Science suggests that people with social anxiety experience more meaningful and playful social interactions when communicating through digital channels or in small groups. The findings provide evidence that adjusting the social environment to feel more in control helps socially anxious individuals get the most out of their daily social interactions.
Social interactions play a central role in human happiness and sense of belonging. The benefits of this relationship are not felt equally by everyone. People who experience social anxiety often feel intense fear or insecurity in social situations, whether those situations are real or just imagined.
Socially anxious people worry about being judged, sounding stupid, or being noticed by others. Because of this fear, they can dramatically dry up everyday conversations instead of uplifting them. The mental weight of constantly monitoring yourself and looking for negative reactions takes a significant toll.
Previous research has often focused on how social interactions in a general sense demand energy from these individuals. The authors of the new study wanted to know whether certain situations might change how socially anxious people respond to socialization.
“We were interested in understanding why social interactions do not benefit everyone equally. While social interactions are generally associated with well-being, people vary widely in how they experience day-to-day interactions, particularly those with high social anxiety. They typically perceive their interactions as problematic, expending more energy, and yielding lower benefits.” at the University of Navarre.
“We wanted to move beyond the idea that ‘more socializing is always better’ and instead examine when and under what conditions interaction is most beneficial, especially for socially anxious individuals. Our idea was to identify a kind of ‘comfort zone’ where they can thrive socially. The future role of anxiety.”
The scientists recruited 157 American adults between the ages of 18 and 71. About 66 percent of the participants in the sample were women. At the start of the study, participants filled out a standardized questionnaire to measure their social anxiety traits. The researchers also used a method called experiential sampling, which asks people to report their thoughts and feelings in real time throughout their daily routine.
This method reduces memory errors because participants do not have to look back and guess how they felt a few days ago. Over the course of two weeks, participants received up to six short surveys each day on their smartphones. The survey was started at random times at intervals based on when the participants usually wake up and go to sleep. This extensive follow-up produced a vast collection of data, capturing the precise details of 10,547 unique social interactions.
In daily surveys, participants answered questions about their most recent social interaction. They rated the quality of the interaction on a scale of one to five based on three specific dimensions: pleasantness, playfulness, and meaningfulness. Participants also rated their current energy level on the same five-point scale. This allowed the researchers to track how different interactions affected their overall lives in the real world.
The survey also asked participants to describe the exact circumstances of each interaction. They reported the communication channel, indicating whether the exchange took place face-to-face or in a mediated format such as a phone call, video chat, or text message.
Participants also recorded group size, which the researchers classified as either small, meaning fewer than four other people, or larger. Finally, they indicated how often they contacted these specific people to follow up on the introduction.
The researchers found that high-quality interactions were consistently associated with increased temporal energy across the board. When participants reported that the conversation was particularly enjoyable, pleasant, or meaningful, they also reported feeling more energized afterward. This provides evidence that positive social exchanges can actually restore a person’s energy level in the moment.
Meanwhile, social anxiety was generally associated with lower overall energy. Individuals who scored high on social anxiety traits reported having less energy on average in their daily lives.
But when the researchers took a closer look at the quality of the interaction, they noticed something different. Specific social contexts played a major role in shaping everyday experience.
The data suggest that the negative effect of social anxiety on gaming is significantly weaker in small groups than in large groups. In settings with fewer than four other people, socially anxious individuals reported more playful and relaxed interactions. Small groups are likely to feel less intimidated by these individuals. There are fewer social cues to follow and fewer opportunities to make informed judgments.
Scientists also found that mediated communication channels helped reduce the effects of social anxiety. When interacting via text messages or phone calls instead of face-to-face, socially anxious people reported having more meaningful conversations.
“One interesting finding was that digitally mediated interactions were no worse than face-to-face interactions,” Fernandez told PsyPost. “In some cases, they were actually very helpful for socially anxious individuals. This challenges the common assumption that in-person interaction is always the gold standard.”
Digital channels offer a layer of distance and control, allowing individuals to process information and respond at their own pace. This likely reduces the intense pressure of instant, in-person social cues.
Familiarity does not seem to affect how socially anxious individuals experience their interactions. Whether the participants were talking to someone they saw every day or someone they rarely interacted with, their anxiety and energy levels were relatively constant.
“The second finding that surprised me is that we didn’t find that socially anxious individuals experienced better interactions with more familiar people,” Fernandez said. “I think one of the reasons behind this finding is that some of the most challenging interactions may occur with people they see occasionally – those who are neither strangers nor very familiar. These relationships may not be the comfort necessary to feel comfortable, while also involving some social pressure. This is an idea I would like to explore further in future research.”
“An important takeaway is that the quality and context of social interactions are more important than simply how long we socialize. What really matters is the fit between the individual and the interaction (quality/energy, context). Not everyone experiences all interactions the same way.”
“Our findings suggest that people get the most out of their social interactions if they interact in ways that match their psychological/social needs,” explained Fernandez. “For people with high social anxiety, interactions are more beneficial when they occur in small groups or through digital channels that offer more control. In other words, it’s not about avoiding social interaction, but about finding the right fit between the person and the situation.”
As with all research, there are a few caveats to consider. Scientists have measured familiarity purely based on how often people interact, which doesn’t capture the true emotional security of a relationship. For example, a person may interact with a difficult boss every day but still feel very anxious around them.
Another limitation involves the specific measurement of energy. The daily survey asked participants to rate their overall energy, but they did not differentiate between physical, mental, or emotional energy. Future research could use more specific definitions. This will help reveal exactly what kind of energy is gained or lost during different types of social interactions.
“We are interested in better understanding how daily social experiences accumulate over time to create well-being and mental health,” Fernandez said. “According to this article, we want to explore individual differences in the everyday social behavior of individuals.”
“The next steps are to investigate other situational conditions that help socially anxious individuals to develop socially, as well as to determine how they behave when they do not interact but just spend time alone. This can be very important because social interaction may be especially resonant for socially anxious individuals in moments of loneliness. Ultimately, we hope to help them better intervene with their social life. Their individual needs.
“A broad conclusion is that social life is very personal,” Fernandez added. “Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to socialization, our findings suggest that well-being depends on the adaptation of the social environment to individual preferences and characteristics. This perspective may be particularly useful for rethinking how we approach social anxiety in everyday life.”
The study, “The Right Fit: When Socially Anxious Individuals Get the Most Out of Social Interactions,” was written by Aurelio Fernandez, Yifai Lu, William J. Chopek, Gabriela M. Harari, Lisa Ray, and Joseph B. Bayer.
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