Jan 18, 2022 01:50 AM
https://www.news-medical.net/news/202201...women.aspx
INTRO: A lot of people feel less anxious in a frightening situation if they don't have to face it alone. But what if these people suffer from social anxiety - a disorder characterized by fears of embarrassing themselves in social situations? Does the soothing effect of a companion then have the contrary effect? Could a virtual companion solve the problem in such cases? And how do men and women differ in how they respond to such situations?
A team of scientists from the University of Würzburg, the Würzburg University Hospital and Zhengzhou University (China) has looked into these questions in a current study which involved scholars from the fields of neuroscience, psychology and computer science. It was led by Grit Hein, Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at the Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the Würzburg University Hospital. The team has now published its research results in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
"In a nutshell, we have shown that anxiety can also be reduced by the 'presence' of a virtual person, especially in socially anxious women. And women in general seem to benefit more from social presence," Hein summarizes the key findings of the study. She believes that this insight might have practical significance... (MORE - details)
INTRO: A lot of people feel less anxious in a frightening situation if they don't have to face it alone. But what if these people suffer from social anxiety - a disorder characterized by fears of embarrassing themselves in social situations? Does the soothing effect of a companion then have the contrary effect? Could a virtual companion solve the problem in such cases? And how do men and women differ in how they respond to such situations?
A team of scientists from the University of Würzburg, the Würzburg University Hospital and Zhengzhou University (China) has looked into these questions in a current study which involved scholars from the fields of neuroscience, psychology and computer science. It was led by Grit Hein, Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at the Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the Würzburg University Hospital. The team has now published its research results in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
"In a nutshell, we have shown that anxiety can also be reduced by the 'presence' of a virtual person, especially in socially anxious women. And women in general seem to benefit more from social presence," Hein summarizes the key findings of the study. She believes that this insight might have practical significance... (MORE - details)
