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Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people.

Shyness is just egoism out of its depth.

The level of shyness has gone up dramatically in the last decade. I think shyness is an index of social pathology rather than a pathology of the individual.

Shyness is about the fear of social judgments - at a job interview or a party you might be excessively worried about what people think of you. Whereas an introvert might not feel any of those things at all, they simply have the preference to be in a quieter setting.

Shyness displays itself differently in me. I think it's more an awkwardness.

Shyness is inherently uncomfortable; introversion is not. The traits do overlap, though psychologists debate to what degree.

They say shyness is a form of egotism, and you are only shy because you care too much about what people think of you. And maybe its true, maybe I am just an egotist.

Some people are just quiet - they don't need to be talking all the time and aren't extroverted, but they're not necessarily afraid to talk. I'm not really a shy person.

At the root of the shy temperament is a deep fear of social judgment, one so severe it can sometimes be crippling. Introverted people don't worry unduly about whether they'll be found wanting, they just find too much socializing exhausting and would prefer either to be alone or in the company of a select few people.

Scientists have found the gene for shyness. They would have found it years ago, but it was hiding behind a couple of other genes.