Faces in a Crowd: High Socially Anxious Individuals Estimate that More People Are Looking at Them than Low Socially Anxious Individuals

Abstract

BackgroundPeople with social anxiety disorder are afraid of being scrutinized by others and often feel that they are the excessive focus of other people's attention. This study investigated whether, when compared to low socially anxious individuals, high socially anxious individuals overestimate the proportion of people in a crowd who are observing them. It was hypothesized that any potential overestimation would be modulated by self-focused attention.MethodForty-eight high and 48 low socially anxious participants performed a “faces in a crowd” computer task during which they briefly saw matrices of faces, which varied in terms of the proportion of people who were looking at them. Participants estimated the proportion of people who were looking at them. The task was performed once with mirrors present (to induce an enhanced self-focused state) and once without mirrors present (neutral state).ResultsParticipants' subjective estimates and the objective proportion of faces looking towards them were strongly correlated in both the high and low socially anxious groups. However, high socially anxious participants estimated that more people were looking at them than low socially anxious participants. In the first phase of the experiment, but not in the later phases, this effect was magnified in the mirror condition.DiscussionThis study provides preliminary evidence of a social anxiety related perceptual difference that may be amplified by self-focused attention. Clinical implications are discussed.

Focussing Attention on Oneself Increases the Perception of Being Observed by Others

“…In contrast to the Bolt et al (2014) study, we did not observe a significant effect of Social Anxiety Group in the Faces Task ( β = 1.06, SE = 1.18, t (9144) = .89, p = .372), although HSA participants ( M = 41.80, SD = 6.50) tended to give higher estimates than LSA participants ( M = 40.71, SD = 5.89). When we compared the Bolt et al (2014) sample with our own we found that the mean differences on measures of social anxiety between high and low socially anxious groups were substantially smaller in our study (only 56% of the Bolt et al difference on APPQSP, 59% on SCS, and 44% on SFAS).…”

“…For each trial, the fixation cross was presented for 1000ms, followed by the picture matrix for 2750ms. This was enough time for participants to scan the faces, but not long enough to count them (Bolt et al, 2014). Next, participants gave their estimate on an analogue scale (Nobody (0%) – Everybody (100%)), with no time limit.…”

“…Bolt et al (2014) found preliminary evidence for this hypothesis. In their study, participants estimated more people looking at them when they were made self-conscious by the presence of a mirror, than when the mirror was absent.…”

“…Bolt, Ehlers, and Clark (2014) developed an alternative method to objectively measure the perception of ‘being observed by others’. Participants were presented with several grids of faces (either looking towards the camera or away) for a short period of time.…”

“…The current study further investigates the role of SFEA in the perception of being observed by others. Bolt et al (2014) hypothesised that their mirror manipulation only influenced the perception of being observed by others in the first part of the experiment because its ability to enhance self-focus may have diminished over time. In addition, the mirror manipulation does not have an explicitly evaluative component.…”