The Science of Social Anxiety (with Vegard) | Sci Guys Podcast

Social anxiety (or social phobia) is a lot more than just feeling a bit uncomfortable around people - so this week, Vegard joins us to share his experiences while we chat about the science!
Follow Vegard: / itsvegard
Grab our merch: normalcitizen.store/collectio...
Support the podcast on Patreon: / sciguys
WATCH EVERY EPISODE:
bit.ly/2z3ifN0
SUBSCRIBE TO SCI GUYS
Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2TAPC3h
Spotify: spoti.fi/2H91rZu
KZbin: bit.ly/2Z7bWTk
JOIN OUR DISCORD
/ discord
FOLLOW THE PODCAST
Twitter: / sciguyspod
Instagram: / sciguyspod
Facebook: / sciguyspod
References & Further Reading
www.nhs.uk/mental-health/cond....
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB...
socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds...
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publi...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34074...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28836...
www.verywellmind.com/differen...
verywellmind.com/social-anxiety-disorder-causes-3024749
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Follow the SCI GUYS
@notcorry / @lukecutforth

[@SciGuys]

Do you have social anxiety?

[@fozziebean]

I think I used to, but I don't know if it was bad enough that I would have gotten a diagnosis.

[@avaparkergray1983]

yesssss

[@warbler68]

yes

[@adamalkhawaja2003]

Yessss 😭😭😭😭😭

[@stanleysidds8792]

Yes

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder around the same time as depression. However, I found out much later in life that I have gender dysphoria, and that both of my diagnoses tend to correlate with it. This would explain why after being terminally shy throughout my childhood, I ended up in a sort of limbo where I would seek out social situations and then realize I don't know how to conduct myself. I went to Pride for the first time this year, even wearing the enby and agender colors, but then mostly stood around not saying much.

[@lilyclimbstrees]

Omg same though I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety after I realised I had gender dysphoria. Though undoubtedly I was feeling the effects of them before. I'm trying to find out where I fit socially now as I definitely want friends and interactions now but I'm still pretty introverted so find it hard actually conversing with people.

[@Slicedpineappple]

To touch on a bit of the discussion at the end, I find it varies whether someone will diagnose you with social anxiety separatly from generalized anxiety, autism, adhd, etc. Anxiety isn't technically part of the autism diagnosis but anxieties (social and generalized, and even other types) are common comorbidities with autism and adhd. Which if you ask me, anxiety feels like a reasonable response for neurodivergent people trying to navigate a world that is not made for them and often without even considering their existence.

[@Kaltag2278]

Yes I do suffer from social anxiety. Wear a face mask helps a lot.

[@sambalam]

I hide in clothes, too

[@aeon1048]

It does! I couldn't make it through seventh grade without one

[@Kaltag2278]

@@aeon1048 dang I am 31, I feel so bad for the younger peeps. Growing up when I did sucked but your age group really has it bad.

[@snokalo208]

I've had anxiety all my life. As a child I cried a lot, crying is still a major stress response for me. It's quite embarrassing 😶

[@Emile9186]

I do wanna mention that anxiety around situations which you can't easily get out of (or at least feel like you can't), think meetings, public transit, camping, the supermarket, etc. is known as agoraphobia and is usually considered a heightened form of (social) anxiety, which often stems from a fear of your anxiety. So one might be scared of having a panic attack in a meeting causing panic about the meeting, making a panic attack during the meeting more likely and sort of creating a selffulfilling prophecy and thereby a potentially endless spiral of anxiety which can only really be quenched by basically staying at home all the time.

[@Emile9186]

Oh yeah also I to answer the question at the beginning, I do have social anxiety. Though if it came down to a diagnosis I think I would land more toward avoidant personality disorder than social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.

[@cinderstar6634]

Pretty much my entire life I've had social anxiety and what I discovered helped me the most was finally being able to accept who I was for myself. As a trans person, even before I realized it, I would always go around feeling like people were judging me for looking "weird" or "abnormal" and a huge chunk of that went away when I came out to myself and started messing around with my appearance and expressing myself. I still have social anxiety but it is significantly better and has shifted more from being nervous about the way other people view me and more about being worried I could be hate crimed in areas that aren't as queer friendly.

[@riotthetin]

The feeling trapped and not liking eating around other people hits so hard ohmyGod . It being connected to social anxiety resonates so much with me. I always just try to make up excuses about it when people call me out on it around meals,,Iike I’ll just tell them I get distracted or something, but this makes so much sense! Also fuck bc like a lot of the times people will then get on to me about not eating but then that’s like triggering for me bc ed stuff but I don’t wanna tell them that always . maybe like maybe now I can tell them about the social anxiety reason now holy fuck wow

[@emmayin1419]

My social anxiety: reherse imaginary conversation in case I need them in the future

[@chloe-fy4wc]

I don’t have social anxiety any longer, but I had it for most of my life ( since early childhood until 17). It varied in severity but was present. Life without social anxiety is so much easier

[@melcco]

Ive had social anxiety for so long. It feels like I was born with it. My childhood is filled with my family getting angry at me for not being able to interact with people properly in public or avoiding it. There wasn’t a time where my family told me that it’s okay, or took me to a doctor about it. Mental health is very taboo in my household in the first place. I knew something was wrong with me but I didn’t dare speak out about it to my mom or dad. I dreaded going to school because I isolated myself for 8 hours 5 days a week, trying to hide from people and looking down. I was scared of people thinking badly of me. I had a panic attack going in class once in front of my whole family. And i remember very vividly how scared their faces were. But i see their scared faces as disappointment.

[@karolejnaa13]

I was diagnosed with social anxiety 10 years ago, so I'm very excited for this episode. Still struggling with some things, but trust me, IT GETS BETTER, I literally was homeschool for a year because of my social anxiety (I was literally scared to leave my apartment cause thinking of seeing a neighbour and having to say hi gave me pannic attacks) and now I'm just anxious to order food and meet new people lmao I would call that a great improvement 😂

[@karolejnaa13]

Oh, by "it gets better" I mean, with medication and years and years of self reflection and some therapy. I felt the need to say that cause Corry said he grew out of it and it's true for some people but it's absolutely not what happened with me 😆 it was a lot of work and if you feel like your anxiety is like... Clinical level 😬 seek help cause you will have to do it eighter way

[@remi6757]

@@karolejnaa13 Hey, was diagnosed with anxiety yesterday and starting meds today. Your comment has given me some hope that it will get better hopefully :)

[@29juuni]

my social anxiety is very much related to my gender dysphoria and neurodivergence but i'm trying to work on it! great topic!!

[@The-Black-Sheep666]

Social anxiety is a bitch! Yes, I have it😭👎 Ah, it's annoying when people laugh and say "I don't bite". Ofc I know there is nothing to be afraid of, lol..😑 When people say that kind of stuff I say "Oh, good thing you told me. I though you were gonna hurt me. Now I can relax."😂

[@sarahd3107]

I'm a 2nd year psych student at uni. from my study I believe you can be diagnosed with both social anxiety and general anxiety separately. As you guys said social anxiety is more specific and so treatment for it can be more targeted towards a certain type of situation than general anxiety. Additionally the origin and contributing factors for the general anxiety may be different to the social anxiety and so need to be addressed as separate issues.

[@kratosboy5557]

I am bisexual and have anxiety solely for people saying “oh you’re gay” “oh you’re straight Joking (not invalidating social anxiety

[@kratosboy5557]

)

[@thiel_spencer]

I had Super Intense social anxiety up until high school but I, like Corry mentioned, mostly by now (college age) have grown out of it. I believe most of my social anxiety related to being pre-transition/in the early stages of transitioning. Now that I'm always precieved as the correct gender (ftm), going into social situations is much, much easier.

[@Ky_The_Weird]

I have social anxiety and it sucks.

[@anukeinplanu1617]

I love this show so much ❤️

[@starfishgurl1984]

As someone with anxiety who’s also on the autistic spectrum and an empath this episode was very fascinating to me! I often feel like the triple finger guns Spider-Man meme sometimes trying to figure out what exactly causes what, for instance do I hate the mall At Christmas because my anxiety is peaking around everything I need to do before December 25th, the increase in noise is causing sensory overload, the increase in people is emotionally draining as I feel their energy/emotions, or some combination therein? I don’t think I have social anxiety per say, but I’m definitely more introverted and have an intense fear of public speaking to the point that I almost had a seizure once when forced to give a presentation on a project/report I did for a college class with only like 10-15 people in it. Part of the reason I don’t think my anxiety is socially based is because I willingly make a fool of myself without caring in front of people sometimes just for fun and I sometimes end up having a hard time falling asleep because I’m too busy reliving mistakes I made and playing out how I could’ve fixed/prevented them even if I made them years ago or they no longer matter. Great episode!

[@heteranthera3473]

I can relate to what Vegard said about being able to do something if you have a reason to do it. I was standing in the middle of our marketplace of our small city in a historical dress, because I went to an event and waited for someone (you could wear what you wanted to this event, not specifically historical dresses). Peolpe were looking at me and it was a bit weird, but I was able to do it, because I could justify it to myself. I couldn´t do it just for fun, at least not alone. Another thing is, I took language classes and we weren´t always the same amount of people. If we were only two, I could speak relativly freely, but if there were one or two more people, I was afraid to speak, only if I was asked directly by the teacher. I´m also afraid if I want to write something in a chat with many people. I always overthink it, before I send the message.

[@ag_nes8193]

yes you can be diagnosed with social anxiety and generalized anxiety. I am so I think is possible. and as far as I know you get a bit different treetment, I haven't been able to get help because of the very long waiting lists

[@riotthetin]

Bro this is so good

[@tylerscott8015]

I've probably had social anxiety my entire life but refused to acknowledge it, because admitting I had a problem meant I would need to work on fixing it, and honestly I would just rather be left alone. We made cross-country moves every few years when I was growing up, and shockingly all that practice being the new kid didn't make it any easier. I remember being 10 and crying because my parents were making me go up to the neighbourhood kids and ask to start playing with them, and my dad basically started calling me a freak for not wanting to meet other kids. I have a couple close friends, and a partner who I consider my best friend, and beyond that I don't feel the need to widen my social circle at all. Sometimes I wonder if that level of introversion should be pathologized so much, I don't feel like it's held me back from any of my own goals, I even worked as a server and in tourism and travelled, etc... but I feel on edge when I'm around coworkers or peers/classmates, because I know that *I* put people on edge by being so quiet and "closed off". I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, but I don't want to put on a fake persona anytime I left the house either. I'm comfortable with one of one conversations, dating was fairly easy for me and I know I'm a nice person and all, but groups of people definitely make me shut down and put my guard up. (You meet a lot of awesome people when you move and travel so much, but you meet a lot of pricks too... It's hard telling yourself no one cares that much when people have told you otherwise time and time again)

[@JennaGetsCreative]

When you guys said can you think of any example of a stranger doing something weird in public, two things immediately came to mind, but they were both of strangers doing weird things *to me*. The first that came to mind was the time my boyfriend (at the time) and I were walking home from a friend's house late one evening and we decided to stop and wait for the bus. A pair of homeless men were at that bus stop and one of them decided to serenade us with an acapella rendition of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and wanted us to join in (which I did.) The second was when I was in high school and my best friend and I went to a local shop for ice cream. We were sitting at a table outside the shop eating it and chatting and suddenly this old man reaches over and strokes my cheek as he tells us how beautiful we both are. Before we could even register how creepy that was, his wife comes running up waving her purse in the air saying "for the last time, leave the young girls alone!"

[@julius-ceasar]

i don’t have much social anxiety around things like going to a supermarket or using public transit (i do feel a little uncomfortable), nor do i have a big problem with talking to people casually, about work etc, but i do have a big problem with forming deep friendships, because as soon i really start liking someone, i get really anxious about what to say and overthink whether i’m too annoying or uninteresting or not open enough, or too open, i’m in my first year of uni rn and i really struggle with it, as well as i’m contemplating whether i am neurodivergent and that’s where all of it comes from, but man i feel so confused 🥲

[@koibuesi]

I‘ve been diagnosed with social anxiety a few years ago after dealing with it for 18 years. Even ordering food at a restaurant made me so anxious I only ate out if my parents forced me to. This year I went to a yoga teacher training in Montenegro. ALONE. I only knew the teacher at the beginning but made a ton of friends there. Shit get‘s better. Therapy can help. Medication can help. And just taking the smallest steps, like ordering the damn food yourself, even though you’re fucking scared while doing it, can help. I seriously thought I was going to be this anxious for the rest of my life. If you are currently struggling with this, I hope you‘ll find out aswell, that this is not true. ❤️ Okay, speech over. 😅 Let‘s watch this video now. 😌 Edit 1: My diagnosis was very sloppy so I‘m exited to find out if it was actually social anxiety or something else. 🫠😂 Edit 2: Just because I did this (in my eyes) REALY BIG THING (doing the yoga teacher training) doesn’t mean I can‘t still be anxious about things big and small. Right now for example I feel like this comment is incredibly stupid. Trying hard not to delete it. 🙃 Edit 3: Yup, it was and is most likely social anxiety. And this video was amazing, as always. I was nodding my head A LOT. 😂 Thanks guys for all that you do! Greetings from Zurich and peace out. ❤

[@infiniteboredomproject7201]

I have social anxiety. But I am not diagnosed with it because (according to my therapist) it's clinically not possible to diagnose someone with depression, ocd and social anxiety. So yes, it is a different question whether you have social anxiety or whether you can be diagnosed with it...

[@fozziebean]

I don't understand why a person couldn't be diagnosed with all three.

[@whydoineedtohaveahandle]

If you have both social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder, then at least in my country they diagnose it as generalized anxiety disorder with fear of social situations. I know that because that’s my diagnosis lol

[@michaelpitman8617]

I thought I had really bad anxiety in highschool but I've come to realize because of this episode I just had such bad gender dysphoria. I wasnt able to hold conversations well always nervous, couldn't leave the house, and panic attacks but thinking back all of it was dysphoria. I already known im trans for several years I just thought the 2 were separated.

[@miaegerer394]

Yes

[@persistenturge]

I was listening on Spotify and had to pop over to tell this story. I was in a public place, listening to sci guys as I go about my day as per usual (so close to catching up!!) when the word aids was used. It was referring to tools that disabled people can use to virtually be able or function as an able bodied person. However, when aids is used in this podcast, it is usually referring to acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This confused me. I also have ADHD, this e(a)ffects my auditory processing quite a bit. I took a second to comprehend what was going on, and then knowingly, with a little smile, in public, nodded, and said "aids." Out loud.

[@AnimilesYT]

Is there an overlap between autism and social anxiety though? From my understanding these two things are two distinct things. The main issue is that people with autism are often misunderstood and have different communication styles which causes things like bullying or them being punished for doing nothing wrong which in turn causes social anxiety. Social anxiety is very common for autistic people simply because of how autistic people are treated in our society. But this doesn't mean that the traits of social anxiety is directly caused by autism itself

[@sambalam]

oh hey i'm in this one. And I am a fan of Vegard

[@imogenstarker4859]

Yes, very much so

[@juniperfox1064]

I experience social anxiety, but I’m diagnosed with generalized anxiety as well as autism spectrum disorder, and I do think redundancy is the reason the neuropsych didnt diagnose social anxiety specifically. She told me her goal is to cover the presenting criteria adequately with as few diagnoses as possible, but it isn’t a hard rule. Like, she diagnosed me with PTSD, and she often wouldn’t give seperate diagnoses for depression and anxiety to someone with PTSD because they are a part of PTSD. In my case, she still diagnosed them to emphasize that they were prominent enough to need specific attention, instead of just being dealt with through PTSD treatment. The sad lesson for me since my diagnoses has been that the “treatment” end of things is largely hypothetical (I live in the USA so, maybe some places are marginally better.) I have yet to succeed in pursuing treatment, though I’ve tried therapy and coping mechanisms.

[@linotrampert4798]

Vegard has the cutest teeth in the world!

[@ausomebeak]

I'm gonna say it...I still love Sci Guys...but I do miss Jamp!

[@mistym8271]

Do you know why he's gone???

[@ausomebeak]

@@mistym8271 they've moving on to focus on other projects. There's a post under the community tab.

[@AnimilesYT]

Climate anxiety is worse than worrying about the climate crisis. Climate anxiety is what you have when you're for instance regularly on the verge of crying because people are actively denying that they're destroying the world and that there's nothing anyone can do to stop climate change now since even with our best efforts it'll get even worse in the coming decades so what's the point in even trying? What's the point even in living I'm likely going to drown? (I'm already living below sea level). My anxiety about the climate crisis makes it hard to get out of bed. It makes it hard to hold a conversation. It makes it hard to even do anything I like because even while watching this video I feel guilty about the CO2 emissions from generating the energy that's required to stream it to my pc. I'm unable to find a job because it's almost impossible to find a company that's not significantly neglecting the environment. Climate anxiety is as bad as social anxiety. The main difference is that social anxiety is mostly an incorrect idea of how people perceive you, whereas climate anxiety is mostly everyone neglecting that there's a very real disaster going on and you have no power in fixing the problem

[@danawork3904]

social anxiety = yes

[@danitotd]

I do have social anxiety among other mental issues 🤣🤣

[@punkeyengineer]

stop making fun of the guy for having social anxiety. whats the point of having this podcast then? did you invite him to insult him or embarass him ?