The Difference Between Social Anxiety And Introversion, In 4 Comics

Introversion and social anxiety are often conflated, whether its in peoples minds or in memes on the internet. Heres the reality: Preferring alone time is not the same as living with a mental health condition.

When you have social anxiety but don't want to feel left out pic.twitter.com/ajCyAfGKMS

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When you have social anxiety but don't want to feel left out pic.twitter.com/ajCyAfGKMS
QuincyFox (@thequincyfox) September 22, 2017

Introversion (the characteristic of preferring alone time) is a personality trait. Social anxiety (a phobia of being watched or judged by others ) is a mental health condition, and it affects an estimated 15 million Americans . Of course, you can be an introvert and also have social anxiety. But the misperception that the two are one and the same does a disservice to those who fall under each category.

These easy-to-understand illustrations depict the differences between social anxiety and introversion, according to experts and research. Take a look:

1. Introverts get drained from big parties. People living with social anxiety often fear them.