Recent research published in Social psychology and personality science It has been suggested that people with social anxiety experience more meaningful and playful social interactions when communicating through digital channels and small groups. This finding provides evidence that adjusting the social environment to feel more in control tends to help people with social anxiety make the most of their daily social interactions.
Social interaction plays a central role in human well-being and a sense of belonging. The benefits of these connections are not felt equally by everyone. People who experience trait social anxiety often feel intense fear or discomfort in social situations, whether they are real or merely imagined.
People with social anxiety tend to worry about being judged, stupid, or ignored by others. These fears can make everyday conversations feel incredibly draining instead of uplifting. The mental strain of constantly monitoring yourself and paying attention to negative reactions can be taxing.
Previous research has primarily focused on how social interactions make energetic demands on these individuals in a general sense. The authors of the new study wanted to understand whether certain situations can change the way people with social anxiety react to social interactions.
“We were interested in understanding why social interactions do not benefit everyone equally. Social connections are generally associated with well-being, but how people experience their daily interactions is particularly important for people with high levels of social anxiety. They typically experience more difficult interactions, expend more energy, and receive lower benefits,” said study author Aurelio Fernández, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Culture and Society at the University of Navarra.
“We wanted to move beyond the idea that ‘more sociability is always better’ and consider when and under what conditions socialization is most beneficial, especially for people with social anxiety. Our idea was to create the kind of social interaction that allows them to succeed socially. This is especially important because social anxiety is a psychological temperament rather than a personality trait, so positive social experiences may play an important role in shaping the future role of anxiety.
Researchers recruited 157 American adults between the ages of 18 and 71. Women made up approximately 66 percent of the participants in the sample. At the beginning of the study, participants filled out a standard questionnaire to measure baseline levels of trait social anxiety. The researchers also used a method called experience sampling. This involves asking people to report their thoughts and feelings in real time throughout their normal daily lives.
This approach minimizes memory errors because participants do not have to look back several days and guess how they felt. Over the course of two weeks, participants received up to six brief surveys per day on their smartphones. These surveys were triggered at random times within set intervals based on when participants typically wake up and go to bed. This extensive tracking produced a vast collection of data capturing the precise details of 10,547 unique social interactions.
In each daily survey, participants answered questions about their recent social interactions. They rated the quality of the interaction on a scale of 1 to 5 based on three specific dimensions: comfort, playfulness, and meaningfulness. Participants also rated their current energy level on a similar 5-point scale. This allowed the researchers to track how different interactions affected their overall vitality in the real world.
The survey asked participants to describe the exact context of each interaction. They reported their communication channels and recorded whether the interaction took place in person or through a mediated format such as a phone call, video chat, or text message.
Participants also recorded group size, which the researchers categorized as either small, meaning fewer than four other people, or larger. Finally, they indicated how often they interacted with these specific people to track intimacy.
Researchers found that higher quality interactions were consistently associated with increased overall instantaneous energy. When participants reported that the conversation was particularly fun, playful, and meaningful, they were more likely to report feeling more energized immediately afterwards. This provides evidence that positive social interactions can actually restore a person’s energy levels in the moment.
At the same time, social anxiety was commonly associated with lower overall energy. People with higher scores on social anxiety traits tended to report having less energy in daily life, on average.
But when researchers looked closely at the quality of the interactions, they noticed something different. Particular social contexts played a major role in shaping everyday experiences.
This data suggests that the negative effect of social anxiety on playfulness is significantly weaker in small groups compared to large groups. In environments with fewer than four other people, socially anxious people reported much more playful and relaxed interactions. Smaller groups may feel less intimidated by these individuals. There are fewer social cues to track and fewer opportunities for perceived judgment.
Scientists have also observed that mediated communication channels can help buffer the effects of social anxiety. People with social phobia reported having more meaningful conversations when interacting via text or phone calls rather than in person.
“One of the interesting findings is that digitally mediated interactions are not necessarily worse than face-to-face interactions,” Fernandez told PsyPost. “In some cases, it was actually more beneficial for people with social anxiety. This challenges the common assumption that face-to-face interactions are always the ‘golden rule.'”
Digital channels provide a layer of distance and control, allowing individuals to process and respond to information at their own pace. This may alleviate the intense pressure of immediate, face-to-face social cues.
Intimacy did not seem to change how people with social anxiety experienced interactions. Anxiety and energy levels remained relatively constant whether participants were talking to someone they met every day or someone they rarely interacted with.
“The second finding that surprised me was that we didn’t find that people with social anxiety experienced better interactions with the people closest to them,” Fernandez said. “I think the reason behind this finding is that some of the most difficult interactions can occur with people we meet occasionally – strangers but also people we know very well. While some social pressure is present in these relationships, they may lack the comfort needed to feel safe. This is an idea I would like to explore further in future research.”
“The key takeaway is that the quality and context of social interactions are more important than just the frequency of social interactions. 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 can make the most of their social interactions when they interact in ways that are more compatible with their psychological/social needs,” Fernandez explained. “For people with high levels of social anxiety, interacting in smaller groups or through digital channels where they have more control can lead to more rewarding interactions. In other words, it’s not about avoiding social interactions, it’s about finding the right match between person and situation.”
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. Scientists have measured intimacy based simply on how often people interact, but this does not capture the actual emotional safety of the relationship. For example, a person may have a strict boss every day, but still feel very anxious around him.
Another limitation involves specific measurements of energy. The daily survey asked participants to rate their overall energy, but did not differentiate between physical, mental, or emotional energy. Future research may use more specific definitions. This helps 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 and shape well-being and mental health,” Fernandez said. “In line with this article, we want to investigate individual differences in individuals’ daily social behavior.”
“The next step is to explore more situational conditions that help people with social anxiety grow socially, and to investigate how they behave when they have no interaction and spend lonely time alone. This can be very important, especially as social interactions can have repercussions during lonely moments. Ultimately, we hope to inform interventions that can help people navigate their social lives in a way that is more tailored to their individual needs.”
“The broader implication is that social life has become highly individualized,” Fernandez added. “Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach to sociability, our findings suggest that well-being depends on tailoring 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 Gain the Most From Social Interactions,” was authored by Aurelio Fernandez, Yifei Lu, William J. Chopik, Gabriela M. Harari, Lisa Lee, and Joseph B. Bayer.
