• "I can't just start talking! He'll think I'm superficial!"
• "If I sign my name, I'm sure my hands will shake and everyone will notice!"
• "I'll go blank. We'll just stand there and stare at each other."
• "I should be able to make a statement without stumbling over a word!"
• "I'm so anxious! I know I'm coming across wrong."
• "I'll never meet anyone. I'll be alone the rest of my life."

Most people consider the term "performance" to mean some type of formal presentation of our skills or knowledge. The socially anxious person, on the other hand, can define the simplest of social interactions as a performance. Even shaking someone's hand in a casual setting can lead to performance anxiety and extensive, critical analysis afterwards. Their anxiety can cause them to forget their train of thought, stumble over words, respond to questions with one word answers, or begin laughing at inappropriate moments.

Some people only fear a few situations. Others, suffering from generalized social phobia, dread a broad number of situations where there is some chance of receiving disapproval. The following chart lists the common situations which socially anxious people can dread.

ANXIETY-PROVOKING SOCIAL SITUATIONS

• Acting, performing, or giving a talk in front of audience
• Talking to people in authority
• Expressing opinions
• Job interview
• Expressing disagreement
• Speaking up at a meeting
• Responding to criticism
• Giving a report to a group
• Giving and receiving compliments
• Eating in public places
• Asking for a date
• Drinking in public places
• Answering personal questions
• Urinating in a public bathroom
• Meeting strangers
• Being the center of attention
• Calling someone unfamiliar
• Entering a room when others are already seated
• Returning goods to a store
• Going to a party
• Making eye contact
• Giving a party
• Resisting a high-pressure salesperson
• Joining on-going conversations
• Making mistakes in front of others
• Participating in small groups
• Taking a test
• Bumping into someone you know
• Writing while being observed
• Talking with people you do not know very well
• Working while being observed
• Initiating conversation with someone attracted to

Social anxieties often begin to surface in adolescence, although there is much variation. Some people describe themselves as shy and inhibited since early childhood; others develop the symptoms after one or more embarrassing events in adulthood.

About twenty percent of the U.S. population suffers some degree of social anxiety, with two to three percent so significantly impaired that they fit the diagnosis of social phobia.

Over eighty percent of people with social phobia never seek professional help.