People with social anxiety are less likely to experience a post-sex emotional glow

A comparison of individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder with individuals without this disorder revealed that they do not differ in the number of sexual interactions they have. However, individuals without social anxiety disorder tended to report higher levels of positive emotions the day after sexual interactions. This was not the case with individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder. The paper was published in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Social anxiety disorder is a mental health condition characterized by an intense fear of being judged, embarrassed, or negatively evaluated in social situations. People with this disorder worry excessively about how they appear to others and fear saying or doing something that will humiliate them. The anxiety can occur in specific situations, such as public speaking, or in social interactions in general.

Physical symptoms of social anxiety include blushing, sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, or nausea. Rather than enjoy social events, individuals with social anxiety tend to endure them with significant distress or completely avoid them. The fear they experience is most often disproportionate to the actual social threat. Social anxiety disorder usually begins in adolescence, though it can develop earlier or later in life.

Study author Talia Shechter Strulov and her colleagues note that very few studies have examined sexual interactions among individuals with social anxiety disorder. Therefore, the authors conducted a study in which they compared the sexual experiences of individuals with and without social anxiety disorder. They hypothesized that the two groups would not differ in the frequency of sexual interactions, but that socially anxious individuals would experience a much smaller increase in positive emotions and a larger increase in negative emotions the day following such interactions.

Study participants were 54 individuals formally diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, and 54 individuals without this disorder. The number of men and women was equal in both groups. Participants were recruited through social media advertisements calling for individuals to take part in a study focused on dating. Eligible participants needed to be between 18 and 33 years of age, not currently in a romantic relationship, and expressing a desire to pursue one.

At the start, study authors screened 1,383 applicants for social anxiety symptoms using the mini-Social Phobia Inventory. This was followed by a phone conversation in which the authors explained the purpose of the study. Selected participants subsequently underwent a comprehensive diagnostic interview in person.

After the diagnostic interview, participants were instructed to complete a series of daily assessments over a period of three weeks, amounting to a total of 21 assessments. These daily diary entries included questions about any sexual interactions they had that day and their emotional experiences, measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule – Expanded Form.

Results showed that, on average, participants with social anxiety disorder reported 0.78 sexual interactions total over the 21-day period, while those without the disorder reported 1.35 sexual interactions over the same period. This difference was not statistically significant, indicating that social anxiety does not necessarily reduce the likelihood of engaging in sex.

Further analyses revealed that individuals without social anxiety disorder tended to experience a significant increase in positive emotions on the days following sexual interactions. This was not the case with individuals with social anxiety disorder—their positive emotions, on average, remained more or less the same regardless of whether they had engaged in sexual interactions the day prior.

Regarding negative emotions, individuals with social anxiety disorder experienced more negative feelings overall than participants without the disorder. Furthermore, when comparing the two distinct groups, the gap in negative emotions widened on the days following sexual interactions. However, the authors noted that this specific finding was mixed; when social anxiety was measured on a continuous sliding scale rather than a strict diagnosis, this interaction disappeared. Therefore, conclusions regarding negative emotions should be treated with caution.

“The findings suggest that individuals with SAD [social anxiety disorder] may experience sexual interactions in different ways compared to individuals without SAD. These insights may inform both theoretical models of SAD as well as clinical practice, particularly in addressing the emotional and interpersonal challenges that arise in intimate contexts,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of social anxiety disorder, highlighting that for this demographic, sex does not automatically equate to positive emotional benefits. However, it should be noted that all data were based on self-reports, leaving room for reporting bias. Additionally, the study only looked at single individuals; the emotional consequences of sexual interactions within a long-term, committed relationship may look very different for individuals with social anxiety.

The paper, “Sexual interactions and their effect on positive and negative emotions in social anxiety disorder,” was authored by Talia Shechter Strulov, Chen Cohen, and Idan M. Aderka.