Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

A Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Eating Disorder Analysis and Diagnosis
Published on: May 10, 2022
Shyness, sociability, and eating problems in a non-clinical sample of female undergraduates
Jessie L Miller1, Louis A Schmidt, Tracy Vaillancourt
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. millej6@mcmaster.ca
Abstract:
Previous empirical studies have shown that the personality trait of shyness, either alone or in combination with varying levels of sociability (i.e., a socially-conflicted profile--high shyness with high sociability) to be a reliable predictor of various psychopathologies, including substance abuse and mood disorders. Extending these findings to other forms of dysregulated behaviours, we examined multiple measures of eating problems in relation to self-reported shyness and sociability in a sample of 520 undergraduate females (M = 20.7 years). Analyses revealed a consistent significant main effect for shyness across all measures of disordered eating. These findings extend earlier work on shyness to another form of psychopathology (i.e., eating problems) not previously examined in a non-clinical sample.
Related Concept Videos
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Social Anxiety Disorder
Bulimia Nervosa
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Binge Eating Disorders
Self-Schemas

