[Social anxiety and the use of environmental self-regulation strategies]

The prevention of social anxiety alone and in the prevention of comorbid diseases is key. In the present research, we examine subclinical-level social anxiety from a previously understudied perspective, in its asso ciation with environmental self-regulatory strategies. We use the theory of favorite places to describe environmental self-regulatory processes. The aim of the research is to determine how subclinical level social anxiety is related to the environmental self-regulatory processes taking place in favorite places.

In the study, we conducted an online questionnaire survey of 483 adults who were clinically healthy - 329 women (68.11%) and 154 men (31.88%). Respondents' social anxiety was assessed with the Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire (BFNE-S), while environmental self-regulatory strategies were assessed with the Favorite Places Questionnaire.

The extent of social anxiety was correlated with visiting favorite places in positive and negative emotional states, as well as the level of recovering and distressing experiences in the favorite place. Within the subsample characterized by elevated social anxiety, the pattern that visiting a favorite place helps a person regain his or her emotional balance primarily through the regulation of negative experiences was more characteristic. However, we found no correlation between the type of favorite place (e.g., place of residence, natural place) and the person's level of social anxiety.

The research highlights that individuals with subclinical-level social anxiety are particularly active in using environmental self-regulatory processes to achieve their emotional balance. In prevention and clinical practice, it is worthwhile to monitor environmental self-regulatory processes and support for related needs, with particular emphasis on place use patterns.