In humans, shyness (also called diffidence) is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of confidence or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people. Shyness may come from personality introversion, genetic traits, or the environment in which a person is raised.

In biology, shy generally means "tends to avoid human beings"; See crypsis. Shyness in gorilla manifests with ostensibly similar behavioral traits, but differs wholly from humans in cognition and motivation.

How shyness works!

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Shyness is most likely to occur during unfamiliar situations, though in severe cases it may hinder an individual in his or her most familiar situations and relationships as well. Admitting feelings may become difficult for the individual. Shy persons avoid the objects of their apprehension in order to keep from feeling uncomfortable and inept; thus, the situations remain unfamiliar and the shyness perpetuates itself. Shyness may fade with time; e.g., a child who is shy towards strangers may eventually lose this trait when older and more socially adept. This often occurs by adolescence or young adulthood (generally around the age of 13). In some cases, though, it may become an integrated, life-long character trait. Humans experience shyness to different degrees and in different areas. For example, an actor may be loud and bold on stage, but shy in an interview. In addition, shyness may manifest when one is in the company of certain people and completely disappear when with others— one may be outgoing with friends and family, but experience love-shyness toward potential partners, even if strangers are generally not an obstacle.

The condition of true shyness may simply involve the discomfort of difficulty in knowing what to say in social situations, or may include crippling physical manifestations of uneasiness. Shyness usually involves a combination of both symptoms, and may be quite devastating for the sufferer, in many cases leading them to feel that they are boring, or exhibit bizarre behavior in an attempt to create interest, alienating them further. Behavioral traits in social situations such as smiling, easily producing suitable conversational topics, assuming a relaxed posture and making good eye contact, which come spontaneously for the average person^{[citation needed]}, may not be second nature for a shy person. Such people might only effect such traits by great difficulty, or they may even be impossible to display. Shyness is considered to be a neutral personality trait by people who are not shy, but a very negative trait by those who are shy themselves^{[citation needed]}. In fact, those who are shy are actually perceived more negatively because of the way they act towards others. Shy individuals are often distant during conversation, which may cause others to create poor impressions of them, simply adding to their shyness in social situations.

How to Talk to Your Crush Even Though You Are Shy

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