Is being shy and antisocial the same thing?

Question

I know I am shy.....especially around large groups of people....but when my girlfriend and I are together and in a large group and I'm being shy....later she will tell me I was being anti-social. If someone starts a conversation with me, by all means I will chat....help me out....is anti-social and shy the same thing or two different mannerisms?

Answer 1

Anti-social has a very negative connotation. To me, it means that you just don't like people and hate to talk to anyone!!

Being shy or introverted is completely different. We just have a hard time initializing conversation and we're uncomfortable in a crowd.
The two are completely different, but those extroverted people don't really understand us, do they?

Answer 2

Being shy and antisocial are two different things. Due to your shyness you may SEEM antisocial but if you like to talk to people then you are not that. Try to talk a bit more and realize that you have as much to offer to the conversation as the next person. Other then be yourself!

Answer 3

Being antisocial is more of a choice. Shyness is something that you are or aren't, but you can choose to jump in and be part of a crowd or to lay back in the corner. Sometimes you don't want to talk and other times you just aren't comfortable in front of people. They are different, but they are related to one another. If you are shy, you tend to be more antisocial.

Answer 4

Depends. In the field of psychology, no. In conversations among peers, sometimes. Antisocial actually refers to a person who harms people or animals and goes against the social order of things. It's also used to refer to a person who doesn't talk as much as is socially acceptable (aka shy).
Check out 'antisocial personality disorder' at Wikipedia below.

Answer 5

shyness is learned and in some cases genetic, are you like your dad? Antisocial is a serious personality disorder. I'm not 'shy' I debate and speeches-but in a group of people I don't know I am a bit standoffish. As you tho, if approached I will chat.I know that some will say that anti-social means you aren't social but you are social when approached.

Answer 6

YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS FULL OF CRAP

I'M SURE SHE IS QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE YOU AS ANTI-SOCIAL, SEEING AS HOW SHE IS A BOARD CERTIFIED PSYCOLOGIST.

Being shy is completely different than being anti-social.

I used to date a girl that would say the same things about me. I am, by all means, not anti-social. I will converse with anyone friendly enough to talk to a stranger. I would say that I am shy because I don't go to people and start conversations with people I don't know, but I don't hate/fear everyone I see. Some people are introverted some are extroverted. Extroverts tend to be the ones that start the conversations because they are out-going. Introverts tend to stay inside thier own heads.

Just because you are a bit introverted doesn't mean that you are anti-social. It just means that you can be perfectly happy by yourself because your brain can actually keep yourself entertained. Where as an extroverted person cannot entertain themselves. They need others around them. Be it because they are insecure or just lonely.

Anti-social behavior is when you hate and or fear the outside world so much that you never interact with it or plan to do harm to it.

YOU NEED TO DUMP THAT GIRLFRIEND. IF YOU TEND TO BE THE TYPE THAT LIKES TO JUST CHILL AND SHE NEEDS TO GO TO PARTIES AND CLUBS ALL THE TIME THEN SHE WILL EVENTUALLY CHEAT ON YOU WITH SOMEONE THAT DOES LIKE TO GO TO PARTIES AND CLUBS ALL THE TIME.

Answer 7

I don`t think so. I think people who antisocial, choose to not do socially aceptable things. People who are shy, just take a little to warm up .I don`t think you`re antisocial if you`re shy. People with attachment disorders, and personality disorders are antisocial. Anti- ( meaning against), social, ( meaning interacting with other humans)...As far as your girlfriends comments, that`s not fair. Tell her you like interacting with people, just not in large groups.

Answer 8

Being shy is when you're not comfortable around groups of people. Being shy often makes it hard to make new friends because they will think you don't like them because you're not talking.

Being Anti-Social is when you deliberately avoid talking to people because you don't care about others or don't want to get to know anyone else.

You're girlfriend is using her language incorrectly. If she knows you're shy she should tell her friends before you go to a group meeting so they don't take it personally. Often if her friends know, there is a stronger possibility of them understanding and actually trying to help you out by talking to you and trying to lighten the situation.

Just hang in there buddy. There are a lot of shy folk around, myself included. I definitely understand it takes time to feel comfortable around someone.

Answer 9

it is defiantly not the same thing
.....but you can understand how it could be mistaken for being antisocial
people who haven't suffered from shyness don't understand and will never allow them selves to understand how shy people are the way they are..which is a shame....so i guess people like me and you will always be classed as antisocial :(

Answer 10

I typed in "antisocial" into google and got this definition:

shunning contact with others; "standoffish and antisocial"; "he's not antisocial; just shy"

When I typed, "shy" I got:

diffident: lacking self-confidence; "stood in the doorway diffident and abashed"; "problems that call for bold not timid responses"; "a very unsure young man"

Thus, I think they're not the same thing. If you're just "shy" then you don't have to necessarily be "anti-social".