Have you ever dreamed of overcoming your shyness with the wave of a magic wand? Good news, a new remedy has emerged from the scientific community and could well help you overcome this anxious discomfort that threatens you with each new encounter : oxytocin . This miracle molecule could boost your confidence and facilitate your social relationships , incredible isn't it?
1. What is shyness?
Is it your first day at a new company? Do you have a party planned but you don't know anyone? A date planned? Public speaking in sight?
You are not comfortable in this relationship with others and this is already worrying you: you are shy .
Shyness is a personality trait that is relatively disabling and difficult to control. It can be defined as a lack of ease and confidence in society. And yes, we are not shy about ourselves alone! This way of being is reactive: it is about what we feel when faced with the gaze of others , often in new situations or with a new issue . A shy person feels the fear of not making a good impression or of not giving a good self-image. She finds herself overcome by a feeling of embarrassment and this inner unease is reflected on the outside by an awkward attitude . This problem is directly linked to a lack of self-confidence . The latter is only further affected by the symptoms of shyness : redness , tremors , stuttering , cold sweats or hot flashes , sweaty hands , etc.
Shyness should be differentiated from anxiety : the shy person is often anxious but the anxious person is not necessarily shy . Anxiety is more of an emotional reaction of nervous tension . It is defined as a great worry linked to the uncertainty of a situation or the apprehension of an event.
Being shy does not mean that the desire to interact with others, or the desire to exist in a group is not thereā¦ on the contrary! And unfortunately, this often results in a tendency to hold back and avoid taking the initiative in new situations. The timid murmurs for fear of the gaze or thoughts of others and does not dare to say or do because he tells himself that he is completely wrong, that he is not capable of it.
2. Oxytocin: what is it?
Oxytocin is a hormone secreted naturally by the hypothalamus, particularly during childbirth in women to stimulate the production of milk as well as uterine contractions .
It acts in the brain as a neuropeptide and promotes various behaviors by regulating other hormonal systems .
For example, it promotes the protective behavior of the mother towards her young, via the dopaminergic system ( dopamine ) . It also acts on the gabaergic system (GABA neurotransmitter) to limit the feeling of fear . Even more incredible, it acts in humans during social interactions , which gives it its sweet nickname of ā love hormone ā. In the presence of a known and close person, the levels of this neuropeptide soar, instilling attachment , trust , empathy and generosity . We are therefore facing the key molecule of social openness, beneficial to the marital and social bond by promoting perception of feelings , altruism , cordiality , open-mindedness and trust.
3. Oxytocin: the miracle cure for shyness?
A study led by researchers at Concordia University in Montreal and published in the journal Psychopharmacology sought to demonstrate that inhaling a dose of synthetic oxytocin promotes positive social interactions and could help introverts in their relationships social.
During this study, scientists recruited 100 men and women aged between 18 and 35 with no medical history and no cigarette or drug use. These patients were divided into 2 equivalent groups. One of the groups was given a nasal spray containing a synthetic form of oxytocin . The other inhaled a placebo , a molecule identical in smell and appearance but without any action.
90 minutes after inhalation, subjects completed a personality questionnaire . The themes of the questions were neuroticism ( experience of negative emotions), extroversion, openness to new experiences, agreeableness and conscientiousness .
The authors of this Canadian study showed that participants who received oxytocin rated themselves as more extroverted, more open to new ideas, more altruistic, more cordial and above all more confident than those who received a placebo. This means that this neuropeptide can change the way people perceive themselves by improving it, which results in increasing their sociability and making it easier to relate to others.
Eric Hollander , a psychiatrist at the New York School of Medicine, saw this molecule as an opportunity to develop a potential treatment to treat autism . He therefore conducted an experiment on 15 adult people with autism . The conclusions were encouraging since they felt emotions such as joy, sadness or anger for two weeks.
Other studies are underway and one thing is certain: oxytocin continues to surprise us!
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