Saturday 30 December 2006

Shy

Shy


This is Joshua from Malaysia. This picture was taken in Trinity College, Swanston Building. He straight away take up that defensive position and making a large "X" sign. The typical me still snapped the shot of course.


In humans, shyness is a feeling of insecurity or awkwardness that certain people experience while being among others, talking with others, asking favors of others, etc. In zoology, shy generally means "tends to avoid human beings"; see cryptic.

Shyness is most likely to occur during unfamiliar situations. Since many shy people thus avoid these situations in order to avoid feeling uncomfortable and inept, the situation remains unfamiliar and the shyness perpetuates itself. Shyness may also fade with time. A child who is shy toward strangers, for instance, may eventually come to lose this trait when older.

The problem of shyness can either involve having trouble thinking of what to say in social situations or involve crippling physical manifestations of uneasiness. Shyness usually involves a combination of both symptoms. For a shy person, these effects can be quite devastating.

Behavioural traits in social situations, such as smiling, thinking of suitable conversational topics, assuming a relaxed posture and making good eye-contact, which come spontaneously for the average person, may be relatively absent for a shy person.

People experience shyness to different degrees. For example, an actor may be loud and bold on stage, but shy in an interview. In addition, people may feel shy around certain people and not others. For instance, one may be outgoing with friends, but experience love-shyness toward potential partners.

Shy people tend to perceive their own shyness as a negative trait and many people are uneasy with shyness, especially in cultures that value individuality and taking charge. On the other hand, many shy people are perceived to be good listeners and are more likely to think before they speak. Furthermore, boldness, the opposite of shyness, may cause its own problems, such as impertinence or inappropriate behavior.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)


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