9781422280645

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Social Fears

opinions of others because they needed each other to survive. Other people’s opinions could make the difference between staying safely in the cave or getting kicked out to deal with the lions alone. Modern social fears are today’s version of making sure we don’t get kicked out of the cave. A certain amount of social fear is adaptive , meaning these feelings of worry can actually be useful. For example, a small amount of social anxiety can prevent us from getting into conflicts with others that we might lose. The stakes aren’t as high now, of course, but our instincts come built-in. So if you sometimes worry about messing up in front of others, that’s to be expected. It’s a natural response to your own awareness that you’re a member of a community.

Like other social animals, humans

organize themselves into groups that look out for one another.