The beliefs, values and attitudes of different generations are influenced by the cultural events that mark each of them. A Generation Z, made up of individuals born between 1997 and 2012, is the first generation to grow up with widespread access to smartphones, mobile internet and social media. Researchers indicate that these technologies shaped Gen Z's social life in ways that were different from previous generations.
There is speculation that Generation Z may be more cautious and shy in their social interactions due to frequent online interaction, but this has not yet been widely investigated by science psychological. Therefore, systematic studies are needed to assess the veracity of this generalization. Is Generation Z really the shyest?
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Recently, the journal Psychological Science published a new study entitled “iGen or ShyGen? Generational Differences in Shyness” (“iGen or ShyGen? Generational Differences in Shyness”, in free translation), which analyzes shyness in Generation Z and the generation of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996). Louis A. Schmidt of the Department of Psychology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, led this study of shyness in different groups of college students.
The research had a questionnaire to investigate shyness, in addition to data collected in previous studies carried out between 1999 and 2020. In total, the study analyzed data from 806 students between the ages of 17 and 25.
What is the shyest generation?
In the study, three groups of university students were compared:
- The first group consisted of 266 individuals from the Millennial generation.
- The second group consisted of 263 Gen Z individuals who were tested before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The third group consisted of 277 Gen Z individuals who were tested during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All research participants completed the same shyness questionnaire, allowing comparison between the investigated groups.
The study revealed a surprising result, although it was something to be expected. Over time, shyness levels have increased significantly between generations. Before the pandemic, Gen Z already showed higher levels of shyness compared to Millennials, and during the pandemic, Gen Z demonstrated the most shyness of all.
These findings suggest that factors such as frequent use of technology and changing social interactions may have contributed to increased shyness among Generation Z individuals. These results provide compelling evidence in support of the idea that Gen Z individuals are, in fact, shyer than Millennials.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have further amplified this effect, likely due to social distancing restrictions that significantly reduced opportunities for interactions social. This combination of factors may explain the significant increase in shyness seen among members of Gen Z during this challenging time.
Conclusion of the survey
Scientists concluded that smartphone and social media use during the formative years of childhood and adolescence may be linked to an increase in shyness in Generation Z. They suggest that less face-to-face interaction, combined with greater exposure to online interactions, may influence the development of social skills and contribute to greater social anxiety and shyness.
In this context, researchers have also suggested that the rise of social comparisons and unrealistic expectations, derived from the use of social media, may have contributed to greater sensitivity towards judgment on the part of other people. This, in turn, may have led to an increase in shyness in Gen Z.
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