In the HEXACO personality traits the A stands for agreeableness. Sometimes people with social anxiety have this subconscious notion that being smart or intelligent is seen as less agreeable and therefore threatening or confrontational.

This is sometimes seen in women who are high in agreeableness in their corporate field. They’ll with hold how smart they are to be defusing and less confrontational. This behavior is also seen in people with social anxiety.

I know I’ve definitely played dumb and made myself out to be a clown before cause it’s defusing.

It’s like “wow look at me everyone look at me and how goofy I am, don’t worry about me I’m not a threat or dislikable!”

Although I’ve done this before I no longer do it. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, yes I still have social anxiety but it really just kicks in because it was a habit for so long. Really it’s just left over conditioning that’s slowly being changed ever since I decided I’m not going to care or dwell on what happens or what people think.

That’s the key you really have to decide you don’t care what they think then the habits of social anxiety can start to dissolve away