Social Anxiety in Relation to Selfcontrol Depletion Following Social Interactions
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2015
Description
Although prior research suggests that high social anxiety is associated with poor self-control during and after social interactions, only a few studies have formally tested this relationship. The current research therefore includes three studies examining how social anxiety is related to self-control. Study 1 showed that social anxiety is negatively related to general trait self-control. Studies 2 and 3 showed that higher social anxiety is related to poorer behavioral self-control after two types of social interactions, social evaluation and working with another person on a task. These results demonstrate that higher social anxiety is indeed related to decrements in self-control following social interaction. This suggests that socially anxious individuals are at risk of exhibiting poor self-control during and/or after social interactions, which has many negative implications, including poor interpersonal relationships and an exacerbation of social anxiety symptoms.
Citation Information
Blackhart, Ginette C.; Williamson, Jessica; and Nelson, Lyndsay. 2015. Social Anxiety in Relation to Selfcontrol Depletion Following Social Interactions. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Vol.34(9). 747-773. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2015.34.9.747 ISSN: 0736-7236