INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN YOUNG-ADULTS SHYNESS AND SOCIABILITY - PERSONALITY AND HEALTH CORRELATES

Differences in personality and health-related ailments among 40 young women who were selected for high (HI) and low (LO) self-ratings of shy ness and sociability were examined. Self- and independent-ratings of p ersonality were also measured following a dyadic interaction with an u nfamiliar woman. The analyses revealed a significant Shyness X Sociabi lity interaction for measures of self-reported talkativeness and extra version. HISHY/LOSOCIABLE subjects rated themselves significantly lowe r on amount of talking during the dyadic interaction and lower on extr aversion compared with subjects in the other three groups. Extreme shy ness was;also a consistent predictor of both emotional and psychosomat ic problems. HISHY subjects reported significantly more neuroticism, l oneliness, depression, social anxiety, fearfulness, retrospective inhi bition, and had lower self-esteem than their LOSHY counterparts. In ad dition, a significantly higher portion of HISHY subjects reported prob lems with allergies and gastrointestinal functioning compared with LOS HY subjects. These results provide further support for the independenc e of shyness and sociability, and replicate and extend earlier finding s on the role of extreme shyness in emotional and psychosomatic proble ms.