Almost everyone has felt anxious in social situations when under scrutiny by others. Awkwardness, uncertainty, differences in dress, finding suitable topics for conversation, and various matters of manners can all lead to social anxiety. Many are fearful of public speaking or other public performance; some have difficulty eating with others, meeting new people, talking with authorities, writing in front of others, or using public bathrooms. Which of them have social anxiety disorder? The unifying theme in social anxiety disorder is a fear of performing poorly in social situations and suffering from embarrassment or humiliation. By definition, being in social situations means that we are interacting with or performing for other people and feel like we are under their scrutiny. If a socially anxious individual feels his performance is found lacking in some way, he often says to himself, “How embarrassing” or “How humiliating. ” Fearing embarrassment or humiliation in social situations, socially anxious individuals either avoid those situations or suffer anxiety as they endure them. The lives of individuals with social anxiety disorder are further complicated by anticipatory anxiety, the fear of approaching social encounters. In addition to concerns about embarrassment or humiliation while being watched, individuals often experience physical symptoms associated with their social anxiety disorder. As they enter socially sensitive situations, they may experience palpitations, sweating and trembling. Flushing or blushing is not uncommon. These physical indicators of anxiety may become part of a vicious cycle. As socially anxious individuals anticipate or become involved in social encounters, they experience an increase in these troublesome symptoms which makes them even more anxious. In addition, they worry that their anxiety or awkwardness will become even more obvious, and this, in turn, leads to further embarrassment and humiliation.