The Evolutionary Psychological Perspective on Social Anxiety Disorder and Its Underlying Mechanism

Abstract

An evolutionary view of social anxiety disorder in its original occurrence of function and adaptive design helps us understand why SAD (social anxiety disorder) exists in the first place. In this paper, we found social anxiety can be a useful strategy to acquire better resources and maintain harmony in interpersonal relationships in ancestral environments. This finding helps us reveal how the mismatch between the ancestral and modern world may cause the overreaction we see in SAD in contemporary contexts. In addition, alcohol seems to be a short-term solution to ease the negative impact of SAD, but its long-term effectiveness requires further research. The paper also introduces compassion therapy to encourage patients to rekindle their passion for themselves by connecting with a friendly social environment. To better understand SAD, we encouraged future research to focus on rebuilding inner values and group relationships.