I have suffered from social anxiety in the past, mainly in the form of panic attacks and generalized anxiety. Have you ever experienced this?
I used to have crippling social anxiety disorder, my fear of social situations crippled me to my core.
Me too! I was agoraphobic for a year! I barely left my house. I never thought I would recover but this was 30 years ago and I'm doing great today. How are you?
Social phobias are becoming increasingly more common and it's because more kids spend more and more time at home on social media rather than interacting. The fear is real.
This is a great point you make and one I have never considered before. I can see how social media and kids spending all their free time away from social interactions could produce an agoraphobic society.
Social media creates virtual interaction but these websites are literally skinnerboxes for dopamine hits, every notification, it get's ANYONE addicted, kids aren't an exception.
Wow! Please tell me more about these dopamine hits. I'm very interested!
Dopamine
Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It functions both as a hormone and a neurotransmitter, and plays several important roles in the brain and body. It is an amine synthesized by removing a carboxyl group from a molecule of its precursor chemical L-DOPA, which is synthesized in the brain and kidneys. Dopamine is also synthesized in plants and most animals. In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by neurons (nerve
other research references more specific types such as social anxiety. The term anxiety covers a range of difficulties and several specific diagnoses, including panic attacks, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder. Panic attacks are relatively short, intense bursts of fear that may or may not have a trigger (a cause in the immediate environment that happens right before they occur). They are sometimes a part of other anxiety disorders. Phobias may be specific to objects, situations, people, or places. They can result in avoidance behaviors or,