Positive Shyness: How Shyness Can Work For You

Information on shyness generally focuses on the negative aspects, but the idea of positive shyness suggests that you can utilize your shyness to work for you rather than against you.

Positive shyness is the idea that shyness in moderation can enhance other personality characteristics and optimize your ability to communicate with others.

Positive shyness is a characteristic that in innate, as demonstrated by the effect of positive shyness in small children and its function in keeping them safe.

Positive shyness does not disrupt life and the ability to interact with people like shyness in general, but it can be an important tool in maintaining safety and staying centered.

The following list describes scenarios where positive shyness is an effective attribute.

1. Children utilize positive shyness as a defense mechanism. I am sure you have heard parents talk about their children who lack shyness and will talk to any stranger in the grocery store line.

While this behavior is cute and attractive, it can also be dangerous. Positive shyness in children is the innate defense mechanism that keeps a child away from strangers and strange places.

It is an innate instinct that a stranger may be bad, and it keeps children from volunteering for kidnappings. Outgoing children are not necessarily doomed, but positive shyness in children is an additional safety feature that can afford parents a peace of mind.

2. Positive shyness affords people time to acclimate to a new situation or scenario before they jump in with both feet.

Have you ever started a new job or gone to a new club? Did you find you were a little shy the first few hours, days, or weeks? This shyness serves an important function.

Positive shyness slows down your interactions and affords your brain the necessary time to sense danger or hidden traps. When you start a new job, there are underlying and unspoken rules and codes of conduct that may not have been spelled out for you.

Positive shyness is the characteristic that comes to the forefront in this situation and keeps you from committing to a plan of action or becoming overly attached until these unwritten rules can be determined.

3. Positive shyness gives people time to acclimate to one another and affords both parties a chance to present themselves tentatively.

This time of slower interaction can decrease fear of rejection and can offer a chance to decide if a person is friend material or a danger.
The time that positive shyness gives you to be quieter and take in your surroundings and the characteristics of the person you are talking to can be important in forming an accurate first impression.

Positive shyness is important and can keep you safe. When you begin to feel shy or a little reserved, ask yourself if it is positive shyness and look for how this quality can help you make better decisions and impressions.