Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 Shyness is difficult to define. It is often seen simply as a desire to withdraw from the company of others, but it can also be an undue interest in others and a desire for human connection that defeats itself through anxiety or uncertainty. #2 We have a wordless language of gesture, expression, and vocal grunting, along with a complex and ever-evolving etiquette of tactility. Shy people are uncomfortable because they are unaccustomed to social norms, which makes them seem awkward. #3 Shyness is not a rare mutation that sets an unfortunate few of us off from the mass of tribal humankind. Some form of it seems to be common not just in humans but in other animals. #4 The Norwegian scientist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen had a more systematic explanation for seal shyness, informed by his encounter with the theories of Charles Darwin while studying zoology at the University of Oslo in the early 1880s. He thought that the most fearful were the working dogs, such as corgis, collies, and German shepherds

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