(ECNS) -- A survey by China Youth Daily has found that 44.9 percent of respondents suffer from social anxiety and 66.7 percent are more likely to feel stressed in real life situations than on the Internet.
In social interactions, 44.6 percent said they fear becoming the center of attention, while 31.8 percent are not worried about that prospect. Some 36 percent are concerned about behaving foolishly in front of others, 35.8 percent are uncomfortable when surrounded by strangers, and 32.3 feel really stressed before attending a party.
Zhang Ting (pseudonym), a university freshman, said she has few friends in the new city where she is studying and feels too embarrassed to join social gatherings.
A third-year student in Jiangxi Province talked of similar experiences when meeting unfamiliar people. "I don't know what to do or where to put my hands. The sense is particularly strong when I need to speak."
In the survey, more than 23 percent said they are often self-critical after a social gathering, and 19.2 percent said they overanalyze some details or trivial matters, while 15.5 percent said they care very much about who or how many people have commented on their updates on social networking sites.
More than 57 percent think it is normal to feel anxious in social interactions, while 14.4 percent regard it as a mental health issue that needs psychological intervention.
Shu Man, the standing deputy director of the Psychological Health Education Research Center at East China Jiaotong University, said social anxiety comes mainly from physical and family factors.
Many young people are the sole child in their families and lack social skills from an early age, he added.
The survey covered 1,544 participants who ranged in age from 16 to 56 years.
