‘Hangxiety’ Experienced More by Shy People: Study

Shy people are more likely to suffer from anxiety caused by drinking than those others who might be extroverts.

The shyest drinkers reported their anxiety levels spiking the most significantly on the following day.

(Photo: iStockphoto)

A recent study has delved some more on the known association between social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder (AUD) to assess the effect of alcohol on shy and less shy social drinkers.

The combination of ‘anxiety’ and ‘hangover’ is referred to as ‘hangxiety’. The study focused on the difference in the experience of this hangxiety between extroverts and introverts.

Published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, the researchers found that anxiety during hangover is linked to AUD symptoms in highly-shy individuals.

The Study

Ninety-seven individuals were tested at home and assigned to either consume alcohol to normal levels or to remain sober. Measures of AUD symptoms such as shyness, social phobia and state anxiety were taken.

A significant increase in anxiety the day following drinking was observed in highly-shy participants.

As reported in the Newsweek, participants who were shy reported that a drop in their their feelings of anxiety after drinking alcohol, but that this was short-lived. The shyest volunteers reported their anxiety levels rising exponentially the most significantly on the following day.

Professor Celia Morgan, professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter, and co-author of the study, said,

We know that many people drink to ease anxiety felt in social situations, but this research suggests that this might have rebound consequences the next day, with more shy individuals more likely to experience this, sometimes debilitating, aspect of hangover.

She hoped that the findings will help people move away from heavy alcohol use.