The Evolution of Social Anxiety: Tests of Two Theories

Abstract

Social anxiety, the psychological state of showing fear and avoidance in social situations, remains prevalent in modern society. The research in this article is based on the theoretical background of social threat, which states that people in group life need social anxiety to avoid potential threats that may affect social status or accessible social resources. The prediction of the article is that Social Rank Theory and Social Bonds Theory can be successfully tested, with one relating to social hierarchies in which people maintain their social status by avoiding conflict and maintaining a positive image through social anxiety, while the other states that social anxiety can help maintain existing social bonds. The experiment tests whether the loss of social status and social bonds produces social anxiety. By setting up scenarios and collecting data about participants’ individual levels of social anxiety, it will eventually be possible to conclude how the potential threats present in the different scenarios affect people’s anxiety levels, and whether the possible experimental results can test the two theories.