Shyness is about feeling discomfort when being around other people, which might lead to awkward situations. But is shyness a weakness?
It is hard to say something is a weakness or a strength without talking about the circumstances. So in this article, we will discuss about what are the disadvantages of being shy, if you should overcome shyness, and how.
Is shyness a weakness?
Shyness is a natural state for some people, but that doesn’t mean that it is a weakness by default. Being shy can have some benefits, I discussed them in the article “Is being shy attractive?“
As I said in that article, sometimes it doesn’t matter how we really are but how we are perceived. Shyness is not a weakness, but shy people are perceived as being weaker than outgoing people. This doesn’t mean that a shy person is actually weaker, but most people will have this first impression, and in some situations, the first impression matters a lot.
Everything can be a weakness if it is extreme, being too shy is a weakness, as well as being too humble, too honest, talking too much, and being too outgoing. Even being too open-minded is a weakness in certain situations. So, if you don’t want to be considered weak, make sure you don’t go to extremes, no matter which personality trait we are talking about.
Read Also: Is Arrogance Attractive?
Disadvantages of being shy
Let’s see some of the disadvantages of being shy, I will not talk about the advantages here as well but check the article about why being shy can be attractive to see some of the benefits of being shy.
-People might bully you for being shy.
Usually, shy people have a hard time standing up for themselves and fighting back, which makes them easy prey for bullies. This is not fair, but unfortunately, when we talk about bullies, we don’t talk too much about fairness.
-You will be underestimated.
This is especially true in professional circumstances when we talk about work, school, college, and so on. People will tend to underestimate you, and in many circumstances, it is not their fault since they don’t actually know what you are capable of because shy people might have a hard time showing off their qualities.
-It is hard to be a leader
While an introverted person can be a leader, being introverted doesn’t necessarily mean that you are shy, so they are not actually the same thing.
Being shy makes you have a hard time saying exactly what you want with the confidence needed to make other people follow you. It is not about what you say but how you say it.
-You attract low-confidence people
If we talk about friendship or more, people with low self-esteem will feel like you are not as threatening to them as the others that maybe are more confident and not so shy.
Usually, people consider a shy person more approachable compared to an outgoing one, and this might be good in some situations, but there will be people that you don’t want to approach having the courage to do it.
When you add that shy people have a hard time saying no to anything, this is a recipe for a social circle disaster.
Read Also: Is Being Serious Attractive?
Should you try to overcome shyness?
Shyness can make you miss some social or professional opportunities, so you can have some benefits from overcoming shyness.
In my experience, people that are actively trying to overcome shyness have a chance to end up in the opposite situations because they are trying too hard. Don’t become a fake overconfident person just to prove yourself that you are not shy, shyness has its own benefits, so it would be better if you try to find a balance.
Write down all the good and bad parts of being shy, and try to improve on the bad parts and use the good parts more often.
Don’t avoid social gatherings, parties, and so on because you are afraid but make sure you don’t end up going to the ones you might not like just to prove a point.
People that are naturally shy will not be naturally outgoing people even if they really want it. They can fake it, but it will not feel natural, and it can get them exhausted.
Read Also: All About The Fear Of Ordering Food
Conclusion
Being shy has some pros and cons, even if it is perceived as a weakness most of the time. Being shy can be cute and attractive if it’s not extremely shy, so trying to lose this on purpose might not be the best idea.
I hope this article helped you understand that shyness is not a weakness all the time, and you can use it to your advantage in some circumstances. Also, it is a natural state, so it would be very hard to change it completely.
