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Hypermentalizing in Social Anxiety: Evidence for a Context-Dependent Relationship
Sergi Ballespí1, Jaume Vives2, Carla Sharp3
1Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 30, 2019
Summary
Hypermentalizing (HMZ), the over-attribution of thoughts to others, is linked to social anxiety (SA) but only in self-focused situations. This suggests HMZ is context-dependent, not a stable trait in social anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Social Neuroscience
Background:
- Social anxiety (SA) involves fear of negative evaluation, potentially linked to hypermentalizing (HMZ), an over-attribution of mental states to others.
- Existing evidence for HMZ as a core cognitive error in SA is limited, suggesting context-dependency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if HMZ in social anxiety is context-dependent.
- To examine if self-image moderates the relationship between SA and HMZ.
Main Methods:
- 113 young adults (predominantly female) completed measures of SA, HMZ, and self-image.
- Statistical analyses were used to assess the association between SA and HMZ across different social contexts and the moderating role of self-image.
Main Results:
- HMZ was significantly associated with SA specifically in self-referential social situations.
- No moderation effect was found for self-esteem or self-schemas on the SA-HMZ link in self-referential contexts.
Conclusions:
- HMZ appears to be a context-dependent cognitive process in social anxiety, not a stable trait.
- The findings challenge previous assumptions and suggest implications for conceptualizing and treating SA, particularly regarding cognitive biases.
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