Gaze perception fuels social anxiety in everyday life
A comparison of two ecological momentary assessment models
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21788677 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mao Nanamori (0000-0002-9392-6421, Waseda University, corresponding author), Nozomi Tomita (0000-0002-0060-0458, Jissen Women's University), Ayaka Yanagida (Waseda University), Hiroaki Kumano (0000-0001-6245-5535, Waseda University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BioPsychoSocial Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-0759 • E-ISSN: 1751-0759 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s13030-026-00360-4 |
| PMID | 42343392 |
| OpenAlex | W7165762551 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
BACKGROUND: Self-focused attention is a well-established factor in social anxiety disorder. Our previous study found that perceiving oneself as being watched or evaluated in social contexts exacerbates this tendency, but it remains unclear whether the perception of gaze or evaluation serves as the initial trigger for these cognitive processes. This study used ecological momentary assessment to investigate the temporal sequence of these perceptions and their impact on self-focused attention and social anxiety symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-eight participants (17 male, 21 female) completed self-reported web assessments three times daily for 10 days. Measures included perceived evaluation, gaze perception, self-focused attention, and anxiety experienced in social situations. A total of 569 data points were collected and analyzed with multilevel structural equation modeling to compare two competing theoretical models. RESULTS: One model posited that perceived evaluation preceded gaze perception, and the other that gaze perception preceded perceived evaluation. The latter received stronger empirical support, indicating that gaze perception elicits the perceived evaluation, which subsequently increases self-focused attention and social anxiety symptoms. However, model fit differences were small, leaving the alternative model where perceived evaluation precedes gaze perception as a plausible explanation. CONCLUSIONS: Gaze perception plays a pivotal role in triggering social anxiety symptoms by fostering the perceived evaluation and amplifying self-focused attention. Interventions targeting gaze perception and sensitivity to evaluation may help reduce social anxiety symptoms
Anxiety · Emotion Perception · Gaze · Perception · Psychological intervention · Social anxiety · Social cognition · Social perception · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Twelve‐month and lifetime prevalence and lifetime morbid risk of anxiety and mood disorders in the United States
A new look at the statistical model identification
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Estimating the Dimension of a Model
Ecological Momentary Assessment
Power analysis and determination of sample size for covariance structure modeling.
Fear of positive evaluation differentially predicts social anxiety
Hyper-volume of eye-contact perception and social anxiety traits
Triggers of self-focused attention
Prospective Associations Between Fears of Negative Evaluation, Fears of Positive Evaluation, and Social Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescence
Comparative fit indexes in structural models
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |