New research suggests that performing acts of kindness could help socially anxious people to not shy away from others.

People who suffer from social anxiety are more than just a little shy. They usually feel so threatened or anxious about interacting with others that they often actively avoid socializing. Socially anxious people lose out on the support and intimacy gained from having relationships with others. They have fewer friends, feel insecure when interacting with others, and often do not experience emotional intimacy even in close relationships.

Canadian researchers found that people who suffer from social anxiety will find it easier to mingle if they were busy with acts of kindness. These good deeds, which are known to increase happiness and may lead to positive interactions, could over time help socially anxious people lead more satisfying and engaging lives, and see changes in their disposition.

"Acts of kindness may help to counter negative social expectations by promoting more positive perceptions and expectations of a person's social environment," researcher Jennifer Trew said in a statement. "It helps to reduce their levels of social anxiety and, in turn, makes them less likely to want to avoid social situations."

For the study, researchers recruited 115 participants who experience high levels of social anxiety. They were randomly assigned into three groups for the four-week intervention period. One group performed acts of kindness, such as doing a roommate's dishes, mowing a neighbour's lawn, or donating to a charity. The second group was only exposed to social interactions and was not asked to engage in such deeds, while the third group participated in no specific intervention and simply recorded what happened each day.

The saw that the group who actively lent a helping had a greater overall reduction in the desire to avoid social situations.

Based on the findings, researcher Lynn Alden believes "an intervention using this technique may work especially well early on while participants anticipate positive reactions from others in response to their kindness."

The findings are detailed in the journal Motivation and Emotion.