Pros of Shyness and Embarrassment
Charles Darwin wondered why people are shy: what evolutionary advantage did this “odd state of mind” provide, especially in social creatures? Darwin didn’t find an answer to the question, but was Joe Moran right in suspecting that: “there might also be some value in their being cautious and risk-avoiding, traits that might over-evolve into excessive timidity.” In recent centuries, as the rules of “polite society” were formed and lines were drawn about what was acceptable behaviour, especially with strangers, perhaps it opened up more reasons to be shy. After all: “Shyness reminds us that all human interaction is fraught with ambiguity, and that insecurity and self-doubt are natural.” Seth Godin once argued that we eliminate the word “embarrassment” from the language (he was saying this wrt our hesitance to trying something new, to taking a chance and possibly failing). He anticipated one argument in favour of embarrassment: “One reason to avoid doing something is becau...