The possible causes of social anxiety

SOCIAL anxiety is an excessive psychological and/or emotional distress about social interactions. The person with the anxiety experiences an overwhelming level of worry and fear about social situations and being judged by others.
The extreme psychological discomfort gives the sufferer an irrational fear of environments, things and people. An individual with social anxiety is very afraid of being embarrassed, especially in social situations or gatherings and this fear can have a destructive impact on the individual’s professional or personal affairs.

Also referred to as social phobia, a person suffering the disorder may have symptoms of sweating, nausea, muscle tensions, abnormal heartbeat, trembling and blushing, among other signs. There are many possible causes of social phobia which can include neurological, environmental, and hereditary in nature, among other still unspecified causes.

Neurological

There have been cases where chemical imbalance, especially in the brain, triggers social anxiety. The unequal or imbalanced distribution in the brain of a chemical called serotonin may spark psychological unease. When this occurs, the person having the mental discomfort may view a safe or normal situation as very discomforting, if not threatening.

Environmental

A harsh environment can be very detrimental to the growing years of individuals, especially children. Strong family ties play a crucial role in the development of a child or young adult’s mental well-being. A peaceful environment thus makes for healthy individuals -- mentally and socially. But a hostile one can break them apart.

Hereditary

Like chemicals in the brain going out of sync, heredity plays a crucial role in the psychological health of an individual who suffers from social anxiety. Parents tend to pass down on their offspring the same genes that have made them feel and act the way they did.

Parents who suffer from social anxiety are most likely to have children with the same psychological issue, except in some cases. However, this does not necessarily mean that the genetic codes that the offspring have inherited may permanently ruin their life, because social anxiety can be treated with proper and early psychological and medical intervention.

Whatever the underlying cause, social anxiety can be reduced through using cognitive behavioral therapy. This provides the mental framework for challenging the unhelpful, negative thoughts that cause it can how to replace them with healthier, more objective ways of thinking. This in turn helps to reduce the distress a sufferer might feel in social situations. Improvement doesn’t occur overnight, but can be achieved with practice and patience.