Social anxiety

Social anxiety is found all over the world. Undoubtedly its nature varies a bit with local customs, but people everywhere can worry about the possibility of doing something that might be embarrassing or humiliating for them. Exactly what that will be depends on where they are, whom they are with and the conventions that have grown up in that place at that time. What might be thought of as hot-headed displays of emotion are common in Mediterranean countries and relatively rare in Nordic ones, where they might be misunderstood or attract unwanted attention. Behaviors that would provoke feelings of shame in Japan might go unnoticed in America, and vice versa. For example, making too much eye contact too soon can be embarrassing in Japan, whereas for an American person not looking directly at the person to whom you are talking, especially if you have just met them, or if they are in some way important to you, might suggest that you have something to hide. The point is that there is no single set of social conventions but many different ‘socially acceptable’ ways of behaving, depending on where you are. Even in the same place, these will differ depending on whether you are 18 or 80.