CAUSES OF SHYNESS

Shyness means acting awkwardly and feeling uncomfortable when there are people around a person. These kinds of people are known as shy. Usually, they don’t want to be in a crowd or don’t like parties where a lot of people are involved. .There are several factors that cause shyness in people.

First of all, genetic factors may cause shyness. Children who have shy parents in their family are more likely to be shy when they grow up. Due to the fact that communication skills are genetically inherited, people may automatically have weak communication skills, which leads to shyness. Moreover, genes shape the brain’s features such as its anxiety.  Anxious brains trigger shyness  and it can be said that socially  anxious brains are inherited  . So parents’ genes may affect their children’s social traits indirectly.

Another cause of shyness is the environment. Schools, neighborhoods and circles of friends are places where people show their interpersonal skills. People around the subject talk or comment about him either negatively  or positively. These comments shape the subject’s behavior either adversely or positively. For example, a person who is afraid of   what people will say about his behavior, may shape his attributes according to others’ opinion in order not to be rejected or humiliated by others. Therefore, he prefers not to express himself instead of saying what he wants to say or act how he wants; this is known as shyness.

One additional reason why some people are shy is the effects of their upbringing  and their families’ attitudes. To begin with, according to research, children who didn’t get enough love or feedback from their family  tend to act shyly . In such families parents don’t express their feelings to their child and there is a cold family environment. Because of this  kind  of behavior, children feel alone and they will never be able to develop the ability to socialize  with other people. Additionally, violence in the family environment may affect the child. For example, if parents  are aggressive, the child will eventually perceive other people as potentially hostile. How can it be expected for  such a child to develop a friendly attitude to others?

To conclude, shyness is triggered by many factors such as genetic factors, environmental factors and familial factors. Shyness is hard to cure although it can be cured. However, as Steven Hawking said quiet people have the loudest minds so; I think people should be a little shy because it is necessary for their social adaptation.

NAZMİCAN ÇALIK