Shy people are more likely to suffer from 'Hangxiety' after drinking, new study finds
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/12/18/17/hangxiety-pic.jpg?crop=8:5,smart&quality=75&auto=webp&width=1024)
Hangxiety: a term used by some to describe that feeling of existential dread, fear and guilt experienced by many the morning after a big night.
Yet a recent study shows that this is more than just a word to describe a mega hangover. The study, called Shyness, alcohol use disorders and ‘hangxiety’: A naturalistic study of social drinkers, found that shy people are more likely to have anxiety, possibly at debilitating levels, during a hangover.
The findings also suggest that for these people hangxiety might signal a higher risk of alcohol addiction. Scientists found a strong link between increased anxiety levels the next day and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test scores, the test used to screen and identify people who are at risk of developing a drinking problem.
Beth Marsh, research assistant in the Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology at University College London, designed the study. 97 social drinkers with either high or low levels of shyness were analysed, with one half told to drink as normal while the other half abstained. There was a significant increase in anxiety levels the following day in the highly shy people who drank.
Surprisingly, researchers also discovered that participants’ anxiety levels while intoxicated, shy or not, didn’t change with alcohol consumption.
With more parties than usual on our radar, drinking is a natural social lubricant. However, while alcohol may loosen inhibitions in the short-term, the fact remains that alcohol is a depressant, as shown by this study.
Celia Morgan, a professor of psychopharmacology at University of Exeter and co-author of the study, says: “We know that many people drink to ease anxiety felt in social situations, but this research suggests that this might have rebound consequences the next day, with more shy individuals likely to experience this, sometimes debilitating, aspect of hangover.”
She continues: “These findings also suggest that ‘hangxiety’, in turn, might be linked to people’s chance of developing a problem with alcohol.”
This might seem alarming but can go a long way to informing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) prevention and treatment. As well as that, Prof. Morgan boils it down to one of life’s hardest lessons – self-acceptance.
Read More
“It’s about accepting being shy or an introvert. This might help transition people away from heavy alcohol use. It’s a positive trait. It’s OK to be quiet.”