Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder is a mental health condition involving anxiety in social situations. It may be noticed during activities such as speaking in front of others; the condition refers to the anxiety experience itself, not to an intervention used to study it.
Social Anxiety Disorder is categorized as a mental health condition. Start with a concise overview of the topic.
This list shows research findings, not treatments. Nothing here replaces medical care. If you have this condition, talk to a doctor.
What may help
What studies found for each option, best evidence first.
5 options:2 some evidence1 not enough evidence2 not tested in people
PsychotherapypracticeSome evidence it helpsSize of effect: Medium
Some human studies found a benefit. More research could change this.
All 5 studies with a clear result found a benefit.
Pooled analyses whose designs were not recorded found that psychotherapy reduced social anxiety severity and that STPP performed better than a waitlist but similarly to active treatments (g=-0.97 versus waitlist; g=0.01 versus active treatments). Gains with STPP were maintained at follow-up.
Open the Psychotherapy pageAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)practiceSome evidence it helpsSize of effect: Not known
Some human studies found a benefit. More research could change this.
All 2 studies with a clear result found a benefit.
Open the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) pageDancepracticeNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
The one study found a benefit.
In a trial of 48 participants, the SFM group improved in overall mood and positive affect within the group, with qualitative support for reduced social and body image anxiety; between-group differences were not significant, and the TDR group did not show significant changes.
Open the Dance pageMindfulness MeditationpracticeNot tested in people
Only tested in animals, cells or theory. Results like these often do not carry over to people.
The one study found a benefit.
Trials report reduced social anxiety symptoms with MBSR, but results are mixed when it is compared with cognitive-behavioral treatment.
Open the Mindfulness Meditation pageSocial DancingpracticeNot tested in people
Only tested in animals, cells or theory. Results like these often do not carry over to people.
The one study found a benefit.
Social dancing offers structured, low-pressure practice with social interaction, providing a form of graded exposure for people with social anxiety.
Open the Social Dancing page
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What may help
Interventions recorded as helping with this condition5 listedMost likely to help, from the evidence we have
- →PracticesPsychotherapyCertaintyMediumSourceRCTModerate effect
Pooled analyses whose designs were not recorded found that psychotherapy reduced social anxiety severity (SMD = −0.73, 95% CI: −0.92 to −0.54) and that STPP performed better than a waitlist but similarly to active treatments (g=-0.97 versus waitlist; g=0.01 versus active treatments). Gains with STPP were maintained at follow-up.
How big is the effect
Moderate effectA clear difference on average.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
- Anxiety Generalized
- Panic Disorder
- Phobias
- Social Anxiety
Open PsychotherapyStudy result
PT significantly reduced social anxiety severity vs control (SMD = −0.73, 95% CI: −0.92 to −0.54) in a network meta-analysis of 104 RCTs; PT also remained effective across baseline severity subgroups.
- →PracticesAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)CertaintyMediumSourceClinical
An RCT of 129 college students found lower social anxiety scores (SIAS) with ACT than with a waitlist (F(1,126)=6.681, p=0.011, η²=.05). A 2025 review also reported ACT as effective, without specifying an outcome or size of benefit in its summary.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
Open Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Study result
Included in systematic review (Table 3); ACT reported effective.
Low probability(3)
- →PracticesDanceCertaintyLowSourceClinical
In a trial of 48 participants, the SFM group improved in overall mood and positive affect within the group, with qualitative support for reduced social and body image anxiety; between-group differences were not significant, and the TDR group did not show significant changes.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
Open DanceStudy result
Within-group significant improvements in SFM group on PANAS overall mood and positive affect; qualitative support for alleviating social/body image anxiety; however between-group differences not significant and TDR group not significant.
- →PracticesMindfulness MeditationCertaintyLowSourceTheoretical
Trials report reduced social anxiety symptoms with MBSR, but results are mixed when it is compared with cognitive-behavioral treatment.
Open Mindfulness MeditationStudy result
Trials report that MBSR reduces social anxiety symptoms. Results are mixed when compared with cognitive-behavioral treatment.
What to avoid
Interventions recorded as making it worseNothing in this library is currently recorded as making Social Anxiety Disorder worse. Coverage is partial, and absence here is not evidence of safety.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Social Anxiety Disorder is a mental health condition involving anxiety in social situations. It may be noticed during activities such as speaking in front of others; the condition refers to the anxiety experience itself, not to an intervention used to study it.
CBD (Cannabidiol) has been studied in relation to this condition, including before speaking performance. Findings about an intervention do not define the disorder, and medical conditions are best discussed with a clinician.
Evidence-backed options
CBD (Cannabidiol) has been studied in connection with anxiety during a speaking performance. In that setting, pretreatment was associated with less anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort during the performance. This finding relates specifically to the speaking task described and does not establish how the option applies across all situations associated with Social Anxiety Disorder.
No dose, treatment duration, or time to effect is specified here. The information also does not identify the health characteristics of the people studied, so the findings may not apply equally to every person with this condition. Anyone considering options for Social Anxiety Disorder should discuss them with a qualified clinician.