A persistent observation

[TheSolitaryMan]

I've always wished I was shy. It's something people relate to rather well. When I say, "I'm just a quiet person" or "I don't like to talk," people always say, "It's okay to be shy," or, "Oh, you're shy." Then I feel obligated to explain that I'm not shy. I just freaking hate talking, and being around people too long just annoys me. People like it much more when you're too scared to talk to them than when you just don't want to!

At least you can control that though. I sort of know what you mean, sometimes I also dislike being around people.

Whereas shyness is more like "Oh come on, I should really talk to this girl", then you just watch day after day, month after month as she becomes more distant. Then you start wondering if she was even interested in the first place. Then you move on

 

[nerdygirl]

At least you can control that though. I sort of know what you mean, sometimes I also dislike being around people.

Whereas shyness is more like "Oh come on, I should really talk to this girl", then you just watch day after day, month after month as she becomes more distant. Then you start wondering if she was even interested in the first place. Then you move on

I'm not sure it's right to say I can "control that". Sure, I can force myself to converse with somebody, but so can you. We're each coming to the party from different directions, but neither of us really wants to be there. Communicating with people as if you actually want to is a learned skill. You simply have to finally decide it's a skill you want to master.

 

[ShybutHi]

You can't say you're not timid, but that you're afraid of rejection, silly. Either you have the courage or you don't. I dunno. I realize there's a difference between being shy and being timid, but there's tons of overlap. I suppose I should have originally said "shy" or "timid about social interaction", but I rather thought it was implied based on the conversation. You can have the guts to go punch a wild lion in the nose, but still be timid about talking to people.

I've always wished I was shy. It's something people relate to rather well. When I say, "I'm just a quiet person" or "I don't like to talk," people always say, "It's okay to be shy," or, "Oh, you're shy." Then I feel obligated to explain that I'm not shy. I just freaking hate talking, and being around people too long just annoys me. People like it much more when you're too scared to talk to them than when you just don't want to!

Yeah you are right there is alot of overlap with those terms. You can kind of be both shy and also timid... You could be shy because you are timid and you could be timid because you are shy.
I think I am a bit of both because I am a bit timid when it comes to social interaction, especially with women and also just generally quite a shy and quiet person. I suppose introverted would be the best way to describe that.


I dunno if being shy is a good thing really, I would never wish that I was shy infact I envy people who are extroverted in alot of ways. Being a shy person in life can hold you back in alot of areas. Granted some people even see it as a noble trait but it has alot of drawbacks.