Positive and negative expressions of shyness in toddlers

Are they related to anxiety in the same way

Bibliographic Data

ID6206617
AuthorsCristina Colonnesi (0000-0002-5740-7827, University of Amsterdam), Elisa Napoleone (0000-0003-2172-5345, University of Amsterdam), Susan M Bögel (0000-0003-0055-4620, University of Amsterdam), Susan M Bögels
Year2014
Volume106
Issue4
Pages624-637
Publication date2014-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0035561
PMID24564372
OpenAlexW2004629121
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited31

Shyness has generally been investigated as a negative and unpleasant emotional state, strongly related to social anxiety and loneliness. However, recent evidence has suggested that shyness may have a positive and socially adaptive form. We examined whether the positive expression of shyness differs from the negative expression of shyness during toddlerhood, and whether a negative relation to anxiety exists. Participants were 30-month-old children (N=102; 56 girls) who were asked to mimic animal sounds with a novel person (performance) and then to watch their performance (self-watching). Their expression of pleasure (positive reactions) and distress (negative reactions), as well as their positive and negative expressions of shyness, were coded. Children's temperamental level of shyness, sociability, and anxiety were measured with parent-reported questionnaires. Toddlers produced more positive and negative displays of shyness in the performance task than in the self-watching task. Children's positive expression of shyness was associated with lower parent-reported anxiety and higher sociability. Negative reactions, but not negative shyness, were related to children's higher anxiety levels and lower sociability. Multiple linear regression analyses confirmed a negative predictive role of the positive expression of shyness on anxiety. These results suggest that the positive expression of shyness can regulate early anxiety symptoms and already serves a social function in interpersonal interactions in early childhood

Anxiety · Developmental psychology · Distress · Loneliness · Personality · Pleasure · Psychotherapist · Shyness · Social anxiety · Temperament · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Psychology · Social Psychology

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