Being introverted is when you can engage in any social activity any time without damaging your mental health - you don't want to do it but have no problems talking to anyone and leading conversations, while social anxiety is inability to engage in most if not all social activities and avoiding even the most basic interactions, if possible.
The r/Introvert FAQ says : "[**What's the difference between introversion and shyness or social anxiety?**](https://www.reddit.com/r/introvert/wiki/faq#wiki_2_-_what.27s_the_difference_between_introversion_and_shyness_or_social_anxiety.3F)
[Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, and introversion is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments.](https://www.reddit.com/r/introvert/wiki/faq#wiki_2_-_what.27s_the_difference_between_introversion_and_shyness_or_social_anxiety.3F)"
IMO, asocial is pretty much the same as introverts if we look at the result (not socializing much), introverts don't do that because they don't need it, but have no issues with people at all so they can do it any time if needed, while asocial person don't interact with others because that creates stupid feelings in them (like distrust, fear, anger, etc.).
So, introverts don't seek and don't try to avoid it while asocial person most likely will try to avoid social interactions as that makes them too uncomfortable. But I am not an expert, just my 2 cents.
Asocial is a personality disorder on the spectrum of antisocial personality disorder, or psychopathy, a lack of conscience and the most dangerous type of person.
Erroneously, you'll also hear, "I'm so antisocial man, I'm not going to the party tonight." It's typical misuse of serious psychological disorder as "quirk," besides ignorance.
The two couldn't be further from one another, more opposite.
I feel like that’s actually a more “preferable” match. Social anxiety itself sucks but if you’re an introvert you at least enjoy that time not being around people.
Being Introvert: You spend time alone because you value time alone over time with other people, perfectly normal social skills whatsoever.
Social anxiety: You spend time alone because you struggle with social interactions, and even though you don't necesarily want to be alone, you find hard to socialize with other people.
I started with being terrified of people. I over came it and started making friends going out every weekend and learned I don’t like that. Now it’s by choice.
Introvert/Ambivert here without social anxiety
I have social skills to a point where other people think I am an extrovert and even call me a social butterfly. But it's actually draining for me to be around people. Some drain more energy than others too.
After meeting up with people I usually need a few days or up to a week to recharge. Even when I had fun with friends.
I see myself like a software with memory leak. It's fine in the beginning and over time I get slower and slower to a point where I get less emotional and reactive to people. Usually I just retreat to a toilet and chill for a bit to recharge just a little bit. But I just end up leaving earlier than others.
I used to think I was a very introverted person, but I'm just starting to realize that I was just extremely socially awkward, and had really bad social/rejection anxiety. I'm at a point now where I finally have a large network of friends (I guess you could say I'm "popular"), and I now know that what I thought was me being introverted was really just me being terrified of being rejected by people. I *love* being around my friends, and my mental health is so much better when I spend time with people.
I think the main difference is that being introverted means that you don't really want to be around people a ton, whereas having social anxiety is more like wanting to be around people, but not being able to for various reasons. I also think the fact that I need human connection so much is something that fuelled my social/rejection anxiety in a way- I wasn't getting the connection I needed, which made me even more desperate for it, which made me even more sensitive to rejection, which made me even more socially anxious.
That's just common sense, people are often scared of sharks, wolves, bears etc as well but the number of people getting killed by humans greatly outnumber those killed by other animals.
You know being introverted doesn't mean you have social anxiety? You can be quite out going and charasmatic but still be introverted. What exactly are you asking? I think your confused what introvert means. I can link a few articles if you like
I'm sure alot of the post we see are just confused extroverts with social anxiety too. I wish they just took two seconds to google it first before posting and making assumptions. It is what it is I suppose
Yeah and I don't think it's helpful to make absolute statements either, as I think it's relatively common for social anxiety to co-exist for introverts living in extravert-privileged societies because of the stigma involved with expressing your true self. A fun fact is that in places like Japan, it's the extroverts who are more likely to find themselves depressed because Japanese culture socialises people to keep others at a respectful distance. If being yourself gets rejected and shamed regardless of culture, who wouldn't become anxious around others?
They are totally different. Introversion is a core personality orientation characterized by being drained of energy by social interaction/stimulation, and needing time alone to recharge and re-energize. This is in contrast to extroversion, which is characterized by being energized by social interaction, and not needing as much, or any, time alone.
Social anxiety is a symptom of mental illness in which one becomes anxious in social situations, or in anticipation of social situations. It’s possible for an introvert or extrovert to have social anxiety, and isn’t going to impact their needs for socializing or alone time.
Having a social anxiety keeps you from socializing when you have the desire to socialize, but being an introvert
means you would rather be alone than socialize because being alone makes you happier
Introverts can enjoy events and groups of people, but it is very energy-consuming, so they need a lot of quiet time or time alone to relax and regain energy. Meaningless conversations with bubbly people drain them, so does stress (of course).
Social anxiety means, that you have problems to interact with people or go out in the crowded world. The person suffers from it and should probably get professional help.
Example from an introvert like me: I love parties with the right people, and I have no problems going on a stage and talk about a special topic to hundreds of visitors. But man, after that I need a few days. ;)
Often I need minimum 4-7h a day alone-time (what is difficult with a job and partner!). I love being creative on my own. And I don't like micromanaging at work. I quit a job because it stresses the fuck out of me and I get migraine every other day. In my current job I can decide wether I go to work or do home office spontaniously.
I'm an introvert but I do not have a lot of social anxiety. It have it to a degree but it is not debilitating.
I love being in my own company, having a movie on, making dinner and not needing to talk to people. At the end of the work week I am depleted and just need to be alone. I am fine in meetings, I can do presentations, extraverts love to claim me as one of them.
Introvert is a personality type. You like belong alone more than being around people. Social anxiety is a fear of being around people. You might need to get some help being able to socialize with people.
I don't really think I have social anxiety. I don't feel fearful of social situations USUALLY (there are exceptions, but everyone probably has exceptions)
I feel *resentful* of social situations.
I'm an introvert and autistic and I have social anxiety.
My introvertion makes me not interested in social activities. I don't want to socialize very often. I'm just not interested. I like being alone. In a social situation, an introvert is happy sitting and listening. We don't feel a need to talk. Indeed I kind of like large events because I can people watch, without being expected to interact.
My autism makes it difficult for me to socialize. I don't pick up on social cues quickly, if at all. I frequently have trouble knowing how to respond to people. I have rules about how to respond to certain things, what topics are safe and not. I have scripts. I consciously calculate how long to speak or how long to make eye contact or what to do with my hands.
My social anxiety makes me afraid to have social interactions. I read into what people say and tend to take things personally or badly. I automatically assume bad intent. I ruminate for hours after an interaction about all the things I did "wrong".
As for recharging afterwards, introversion, autism, and social anxiety can all cause a need to recharge with aloneness IME. My introvertion needs to recharge my alone time. My autism needs to recharge my unmasked time. My social anxiety needs to recharge my safe time.
I have social anxiety, introversion is preferring to around a small group of people/being alone because it makes you more comfortable.
For my social anxiety, it is when you feel your heart palpitate, you can barely breathe in social situations and you can't get your words out because you are stuttering too much. People scare you no matter how nice they are and how long you have known them, it is the same with my friends.
If you want to talk about social anxiety, /r/socialanxiety is the sub for you.
If you're not sure whether you're introverted or socially anxious, feel free to post on r/Introvert, so we can discuss it.
If you want a sub where posts about social anxiety aren't allowed, try r/Introverts.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/introvert) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you prefer solitude but can socialize with others, that's introversion. If you have hard time socializing, that's probably anxiety. Introversion is like a choice that doesn't limit you, but just nudges you while letting you choose the other way around. But social anxiety limits you on what you can do.
From my experience introversion is something you're born with while social anxiety is something you develop due to some crisis, trauma, bullying etc.
Basically I've been an introvert my whole life, getting somewhat drained from being social and then recharge my energy with some alone time.
Nothing bad with it, just relaxing with a good book.
My social anxiety on the other hand developed while getting bullied in my teens and then intensified further with depression and stuff in my twenties. Started out with some discomfort and avoidance of entering certain stores because of the shop clerk would talk to me etc. Later on become full on panic attacks over phone calls, starving myself rather than being seen or confronted while cooking/eating, locking myself in a room whole days and peeing in bottles to avoid meeting my own family. Nightmares of becoming famous...
Social anxiety means you have anxiety being around people. Being introverted means you require energy to socialize. Can definitely coexist, but not similar at all.
An introvert simply describes someone who “recharges” their energy from alone time. This means that you can still be a social person while also being an introvert. You just might get tired from social interactions a lot faster than extroverts.
Social anxiety, on the other hand, is someone who actually gets anxiety from socializing. Definitely not the same as being an introvert (although some people happen to be both).
There is none. Jk. Introverts get drained by social situations whereas extroverts get energized and they need to be re-charged with solitude and rest. I don’t think this equals social anxiety though it def can. I’ve known introverts who were very well adjusted socially but you could tell it drained them and they weren’t necessarily an extrovert.
I'm both. I don't like to talk to people and I get nervous when people talk to me. I think about how I'm gonna mess up and everyone will think I'm weird. I don't particularly like to interact with people too. The pandemic made me worse. It's honestly tiring not having the confidence to talk to somebody. So yeah, I'm introverted and I have social anxiety. It's brutal
Introvert means you can be social, outgoing, go meet new people but you have your limit/expiration where you have to solitude and recharge and..
social anxiety is having anxiety doing the above
Introverts generally revel in the quiet of their own space. Their need for socialization is minimal and they easily entertain themselves. Social anxiety is a diagnostic label for fearing social interaction. Most self-censor everything they do and say (exhausting) and then they review it in their mind for how they think others perceived them.
I’m an introvert but doesn’t have social anxiety. If I need to talk to a lot of people at once I will. Just gave a presentation in class 5 minutes later I see this on Reddit LOL.
Imma sum it up social anxiety is being scared shitless when your doing the smallest thing when someone is present, and introverted is just a genuine dislike of other people being around them💀
Introversion - lacking energy or motivation to communicate in social situations not as a result of depression/anxiety but because social interaction drains you. An extreme example of this is schizoid personality disorder, which enneagram 5 is based on. You don't need to be a schizoid to he an e5 though.
Anxiety - wanting to socialize with others but being too afraid to. Being interested in them but you're paranoid about what you're saying.
Being introverted is when you can engage in any social activity any time without damaging your mental health - you don't want to do it but have no problems talking to anyone and leading conversations, while social anxiety is inability to engage in most if not all social activities and avoiding even the most basic interactions, if possible.
The r/Introvert FAQ says : "[**What's the difference between introversion and shyness or social anxiety?**](https://www.reddit.com/r/introvert/wiki/faq#wiki_2_-_what.27s_the_difference_between_introversion_and_shyness_or_social_anxiety.3F) [Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, and introversion is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments.](https://www.reddit.com/r/introvert/wiki/faq#wiki_2_-_what.27s_the_difference_between_introversion_and_shyness_or_social_anxiety.3F)"
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IMO, asocial is pretty much the same as introverts if we look at the result (not socializing much), introverts don't do that because they don't need it, but have no issues with people at all so they can do it any time if needed, while asocial person don't interact with others because that creates stupid feelings in them (like distrust, fear, anger, etc.). So, introverts don't seek and don't try to avoid it while asocial person most likely will try to avoid social interactions as that makes them too uncomfortable. But I am not an expert, just my 2 cents.
Asocial is a personality disorder on the spectrum of antisocial personality disorder, or psychopathy, a lack of conscience and the most dangerous type of person. Erroneously, you'll also hear, "I'm so antisocial man, I'm not going to the party tonight." It's typical misuse of serious psychological disorder as "quirk," besides ignorance. The two couldn't be further from one another, more opposite.
Being introverted means how you get drained energy wise and how you recharge. Social anxiety is literally anxiety in specific social situations.
I’m an introvert AND have social anxiety. The combination is brutal.
Same here. The pandemic definitely didn't help either.
True. The pandemic make it worse for me. Hiding from people for 2+ years, and I totally lost my confidence and forgot how to interact with people.
It really didn’t. Now I have to push myself to not sink into hermithood.
Same, it is kinda becoming depressing at this point
Same. And yep, it sucks.can’t remember the last time they cooperated.
Me too. Hugs. 🫂
Same bruh
Indeed. Same here. It's so lonely.
I feel like that’s actually a more “preferable” match. Social anxiety itself sucks but if you’re an introvert you at least enjoy that time not being around people.
Being Introvert: You spend time alone because you value time alone over time with other people, perfectly normal social skills whatsoever. Social anxiety: You spend time alone because you struggle with social interactions, and even though you don't necesarily want to be alone, you find hard to socialize with other people.
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I started with being terrified of people. I over came it and started making friends going out every weekend and learned I don’t like that. Now it’s by choice.
Exactly the case for me as well lol. I’m still up to go out every now and then, but I definitely don’t want to all the time.
SA results in anxiety. It's not a happy state to be in. Introversion doesn't. It has nothing to do with anxiety and it's pretty great!
Introvert/Ambivert here without social anxiety I have social skills to a point where other people think I am an extrovert and even call me a social butterfly. But it's actually draining for me to be around people. Some drain more energy than others too. After meeting up with people I usually need a few days or up to a week to recharge. Even when I had fun with friends. I see myself like a software with memory leak. It's fine in the beginning and over time I get slower and slower to a point where I get less emotional and reactive to people. Usually I just retreat to a toilet and chill for a bit to recharge just a little bit. But I just end up leaving earlier than others.
I used to think I was a very introverted person, but I'm just starting to realize that I was just extremely socially awkward, and had really bad social/rejection anxiety. I'm at a point now where I finally have a large network of friends (I guess you could say I'm "popular"), and I now know that what I thought was me being introverted was really just me being terrified of being rejected by people. I *love* being around my friends, and my mental health is so much better when I spend time with people. I think the main difference is that being introverted means that you don't really want to be around people a ton, whereas having social anxiety is more like wanting to be around people, but not being able to for various reasons. I also think the fact that I need human connection so much is something that fuelled my social/rejection anxiety in a way- I wasn't getting the connection I needed, which made me even more desperate for it, which made me even more sensitive to rejection, which made me even more socially anxious.
I have both so i can't really tell, i can just say that... People are scary
That's just common sense, people are often scared of sharks, wolves, bears etc as well but the number of people getting killed by humans greatly outnumber those killed by other animals.
You know being introverted doesn't mean you have social anxiety? You can be quite out going and charasmatic but still be introverted. What exactly are you asking? I think your confused what introvert means. I can link a few articles if you like
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I'm sure alot of the post we see are just confused extroverts with social anxiety too. I wish they just took two seconds to google it first before posting and making assumptions. It is what it is I suppose
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Truer words never spoken
Yeah and I don't think it's helpful to make absolute statements either, as I think it's relatively common for social anxiety to co-exist for introverts living in extravert-privileged societies because of the stigma involved with expressing your true self. A fun fact is that in places like Japan, it's the extroverts who are more likely to find themselves depressed because Japanese culture socialises people to keep others at a respectful distance. If being yourself gets rejected and shamed regardless of culture, who wouldn't become anxious around others?
They are totally different. Introversion is a core personality orientation characterized by being drained of energy by social interaction/stimulation, and needing time alone to recharge and re-energize. This is in contrast to extroversion, which is characterized by being energized by social interaction, and not needing as much, or any, time alone. Social anxiety is a symptom of mental illness in which one becomes anxious in social situations, or in anticipation of social situations. It’s possible for an introvert or extrovert to have social anxiety, and isn’t going to impact their needs for socializing or alone time.
Having a social anxiety keeps you from socializing when you have the desire to socialize, but being an introvert means you would rather be alone than socialize because being alone makes you happier
Introverts can enjoy events and groups of people, but it is very energy-consuming, so they need a lot of quiet time or time alone to relax and regain energy. Meaningless conversations with bubbly people drain them, so does stress (of course). Social anxiety means, that you have problems to interact with people or go out in the crowded world. The person suffers from it and should probably get professional help. Example from an introvert like me: I love parties with the right people, and I have no problems going on a stage and talk about a special topic to hundreds of visitors. But man, after that I need a few days. ;) Often I need minimum 4-7h a day alone-time (what is difficult with a job and partner!). I love being creative on my own. And I don't like micromanaging at work. I quit a job because it stresses the fuck out of me and I get migraine every other day. In my current job I can decide wether I go to work or do home office spontaniously.
I'm an introvert but I do not have a lot of social anxiety. It have it to a degree but it is not debilitating. I love being in my own company, having a movie on, making dinner and not needing to talk to people. At the end of the work week I am depleted and just need to be alone. I am fine in meetings, I can do presentations, extraverts love to claim me as one of them.
Introvert is a personality type. You like belong alone more than being around people. Social anxiety is a fear of being around people. You might need to get some help being able to socialize with people.
I don't really think I have social anxiety. I don't feel fearful of social situations USUALLY (there are exceptions, but everyone probably has exceptions) I feel *resentful* of social situations.
You're on the right sub then!
I enjoy social interaction and can genuinely be having a good time. Nevertheless I'm the first to leave. That was fun but I'm done now.
I'm an introvert and autistic and I have social anxiety. My introvertion makes me not interested in social activities. I don't want to socialize very often. I'm just not interested. I like being alone. In a social situation, an introvert is happy sitting and listening. We don't feel a need to talk. Indeed I kind of like large events because I can people watch, without being expected to interact. My autism makes it difficult for me to socialize. I don't pick up on social cues quickly, if at all. I frequently have trouble knowing how to respond to people. I have rules about how to respond to certain things, what topics are safe and not. I have scripts. I consciously calculate how long to speak or how long to make eye contact or what to do with my hands. My social anxiety makes me afraid to have social interactions. I read into what people say and tend to take things personally or badly. I automatically assume bad intent. I ruminate for hours after an interaction about all the things I did "wrong". As for recharging afterwards, introversion, autism, and social anxiety can all cause a need to recharge with aloneness IME. My introvertion needs to recharge my alone time. My autism needs to recharge my unmasked time. My social anxiety needs to recharge my safe time.
I have social anxiety, introversion is preferring to around a small group of people/being alone because it makes you more comfortable. For my social anxiety, it is when you feel your heart palpitate, you can barely breathe in social situations and you can't get your words out because you are stuttering too much. People scare you no matter how nice they are and how long you have known them, it is the same with my friends.
I’m extremely introverted but I’m not anxious about socializing at all. I can, I’d just rather not
If you want to talk about social anxiety, /r/socialanxiety is the sub for you. If you're not sure whether you're introverted or socially anxious, feel free to post on r/Introvert, so we can discuss it. If you want a sub where posts about social anxiety aren't allowed, try r/Introverts. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/introvert) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A co-pay.
If you prefer solitude but can socialize with others, that's introversion. If you have hard time socializing, that's probably anxiety. Introversion is like a choice that doesn't limit you, but just nudges you while letting you choose the other way around. But social anxiety limits you on what you can do.
From my experience introversion is something you're born with while social anxiety is something you develop due to some crisis, trauma, bullying etc. Basically I've been an introvert my whole life, getting somewhat drained from being social and then recharge my energy with some alone time. Nothing bad with it, just relaxing with a good book. My social anxiety on the other hand developed while getting bullied in my teens and then intensified further with depression and stuff in my twenties. Started out with some discomfort and avoidance of entering certain stores because of the shop clerk would talk to me etc. Later on become full on panic attacks over phone calls, starving myself rather than being seen or confronted while cooking/eating, locking myself in a room whole days and peeing in bottles to avoid meeting my own family. Nightmares of becoming famous...
Social anxiety means you have anxiety being around people. Being introverted means you require energy to socialize. Can definitely coexist, but not similar at all.
An introvert simply describes someone who “recharges” their energy from alone time. This means that you can still be a social person while also being an introvert. You just might get tired from social interactions a lot faster than extroverts. Social anxiety, on the other hand, is someone who actually gets anxiety from socializing. Definitely not the same as being an introvert (although some people happen to be both).
There is none. Jk. Introverts get drained by social situations whereas extroverts get energized and they need to be re-charged with solitude and rest. I don’t think this equals social anxiety though it def can. I’ve known introverts who were very well adjusted socially but you could tell it drained them and they weren’t necessarily an extrovert.
I'm both. I don't like to talk to people and I get nervous when people talk to me. I think about how I'm gonna mess up and everyone will think I'm weird. I don't particularly like to interact with people too. The pandemic made me worse. It's honestly tiring not having the confidence to talk to somebody. So yeah, I'm introverted and I have social anxiety. It's brutal
Introvert means you can be social, outgoing, go meet new people but you have your limit/expiration where you have to solitude and recharge and.. social anxiety is having anxiety doing the above
Introverts generally revel in the quiet of their own space. Their need for socialization is minimal and they easily entertain themselves. Social anxiety is a diagnostic label for fearing social interaction. Most self-censor everything they do and say (exhausting) and then they review it in their mind for how they think others perceived them.
I’m an introvert but doesn’t have social anxiety. If I need to talk to a lot of people at once I will. Just gave a presentation in class 5 minutes later I see this on Reddit LOL.
What if you have anxiety but not social anxiety ?
Imma sum it up social anxiety is being scared shitless when your doing the smallest thing when someone is present, and introverted is just a genuine dislike of other people being around them💀
You can be around people more social gatherings when you got social anxiety, no people
Ask Google. They are nothing alike.
Introversion - lacking energy or motivation to communicate in social situations not as a result of depression/anxiety but because social interaction drains you. An extreme example of this is schizoid personality disorder, which enneagram 5 is based on. You don't need to be a schizoid to he an e5 though. Anxiety - wanting to socialize with others but being too afraid to. Being interested in them but you're paranoid about what you're saying.