The Effect of Observed Automatic Socially Anxious Behaviour and Own Social Anxiety on Likeability
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2020-07-06
Language
en
Document type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Title
ISSN
Volume
Issue
Startpage
Endpage
DOI
Abstract
Cognitive models suggest that people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) make distorted
interpretations of social interactions, which makes them believe others evaluate them
negatively. Recent research shows that socially anxious individuals (SAs) are indeed
evaluated as less likeable compared to low-socially anxious people (LSAs). It is assumed that
automatic socially anxious behaviours contribute to this negative evaluation. However, this
has not been investigated yet. Therefore, this study researched the influence of observed
automatic anxious behaviours (keeping more distance and walking more slowly) on likeability
ratings and whether participants’ own social anxiety influenced this evaluation. Seventy-two
male and female participants with different levels of social anxiety watched a video via an
online platform. In the video, four virtual agents approached the participants with either
normal or ‘socially anxious’ approach behaviour. It was analysed if subjective likeability
ratings of the agents differed for SA-movement agents and for normal agents. No effects of
automatic socially anxious behaviour on likeability were found. The results suggest
furthermore that participants’ own social anxiety did not influence this relationship.
Theoretical implications and limitations are discussed.
Keywords: social anxiety, likeability, automatic behaviours
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen