Anthropophobia, which has a cultural basis in Japan and Korea, is defined as a fear of people.1 It is often confused with social anxiety disorder or social phobia, as they share some symptoms. Anthropophobia can be treated with different types of therapy, including talk therapy and exposure therapy. In some cases, treatment can also include medication.
What Is Anthropophobia?
In Western culture, anthropophobia is a specific phobia closely related to social anxiety disorder, scopophobia (fear of being stared at), or an unspecified phobia of people—distinguished by fear and overwhelming anxiety surrounding interpersonal interactions. It is primarily based on what’s known as interpersonal fear disorder in Japan (taijin kyofusho).2
While it can be normal to be nervous or even reluctant to meet new people, this kind of nervousness differs from anthropophobia. Individuals with this phobia fear being judged, watched, not meeting others’ standards, and offending others.
What’s the Difference Between Anthropophobia & Social Phobia?
The APA identifies anthropophobia as being closely connected with social phobias, but there are differences.2 An individual with social phobia experiences fear and embarrassment about potentially being judged, while anthropophobia presents with a significant, specific fear surrounding offending others and not being worthy. It’s not uncommon for those experiencing anthropophobia to experience depression due to these fears.1,2
10 Symptoms of Anthropophobia
Anthropophobia can impact individuals in ways that are difficult to understand. Symptoms of this disorder range from mild to serious, depending on severity.
Ten potential symptoms of anthropophobia are:
- Difficulty looking people in the eye
- Difficulty speaking with people
- Fearfulness of being judged or watched by others
- Fearfulness or anxiety about offending others
- Feeling unworthy or inadequate to others
- Significant levels of awareness regarding social interactions
- Potential delusions or exaggerations surrounding an individual’s smell (olfactory) or the appearance of their body (dysmorphia)1,2
- Negative thoughts or self-talk
- Depression1,2,4
- Anticipatory anxiety
Impacts of Anthropophobia
Individuals who experience anthropophobia may experience any or all of the above symptoms on a daily basis. The impact of these symptoms can significantly impact an individual’s ability to maintain relationships, go to work, pursue education, participate in hobbies, or even perform general self-care.
For those who are fearful or anxious about being judged or offending others, they may begin to experience anticipatory anxiety prior to interpersonal interactions. Symptoms of anticipatory anxiety include sweating, shaking, difficulty breathing, and a sense of dread, fear, or anxiety. These symptoms may make it difficult for the individual to push through and meet their goals and social expectations.
In addition to anticipatory anxiety, individuals who experience anthropophobia may become withdrawn, significantly impacting different areas of their lives. For some individuals, this may lead to future substance to help cope with the difficulties of interpersonal interactions that are needed to maintain a quality of life.4
What Causes a Fear of People?
It is not always clear what causes phobias, even if they are unspecified. Genetic factors might play a role; however, cultural expectations can also influence an individual’s experience of mental health symptoms.5
In many phobias, influences include a history of learned behavior (i.e., if Joey experiences a car wreck, they may fear driving in the future), seeing learning events (i.e., if Joey’s mother is always nervous around dogs, they may begin to fear dogs themself), or knowledge-based learning (i.e., reading or watching footage of plane hijackings from 9/11 and later having a fear of flying).
Research also notes that individuals who experienced anthropophobia had more difficult relationships with their parents or guardians.6 While the research remains muddled, it indicates that previous negative experiences could potentially influence difficulty in relationships in the individuals’ futures.
How to Overcome Fear of People
Individuals who experience anthropophobia may have a difficult time learning how to overcome their anxiety and fear of being judged, watched, or offending others, especially if it has kept them from improving their general quality of life. Even though anthropophobia is a mix of a number of potential diagnoses, and it is not impossible to overcome.
Practical tips to overcome anthropophobia include:
- Engage in self-care: When individuals engage in self-care, self-esteem and confidence increase and anxiety decreases. Self-care includes healthy habits, basic hygiene, eating and drinking healthy foods and water, not using too many substances or drinking too much alcohol, getting enough sleep, and engaging in regular exercise.
- Accept that anxiety or fear exists, but acknowledge that they’re not necessarily based in reality: Anxiety and fear in their most basic forms can thrive off of denying they exist. Denials inhibit our ability to challenge and process fear. It can be helpful to allow feelings to exist, but also remind yourself that these thoughts may not be true. (i.e., “My friend is bothered by my smell,” when your friend has never indicated that.
- Be open to experiencing mental and physical discomfort: If you are working with a therapist or on your own, you may receive homework or engage yourself in thought challenging processes to change your perspective in the moment. It may be difficult to manage the anxiety or fear, but allowing yourself to be slightly uncomfortable and challenging your behavior or thoughts reinforces your brain to respond to the situation in the future and employ your coping skills.
- Talk with a therapist or a psychiatrist: It can be helpful to talk with a therapist or a psychiatrist to learn more about what is happening to you and how to cope with symptoms.
Treatment of Anthropophobia
Treatment exists to help lower your symptoms and increase your ability to interact with others. These options include different types of therapy as well as some medications that can help lower anxiety and fear levels surrounding interpersonal interactions.
Therapy
Therapy can be helpful in treating anthropophobia symptoms, especially in lowering fear and anxiety symptoms, increasing confidence, acknowledging potential delusions or dysmorphia, and increasing an individual’s ability to function. Individual talk therapy or psychotherapy can be helpful in beginning one-on-one work to manage and lower these symptoms and address the fears behind interpersonal interactions.
Some therapy types that can be helpful in treating anthropophobia include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and interpersonal therapy.7,8 There is also movie-based virtual reality therapy that was made specifically for public speaking and was generalized to anthropophobia. It plays an exposure role and allows individuals to practice public speaking or other symptom-inducing situations, monitoring themselves to lower and cope with symptoms, especially anticipatory anxiety.7
Medication
While therapy can be helpful in treating anthropophobia, medications are also prescribed to help manage the anxiety and fear that occur in this disorder. Medications are prescribed by primary care physicians (commonly family practice or internal medicine doctors), psychiatrists (physicians who have trained specifically in mental health), or nurse practitioners. When these individuals see you for an appointment, they will discuss what the best options may be to help lower your symptoms so you can function at a higher level.
There are no medications that are singularly made for anthropophobia as it is not a clinical disorder. Many doctors or nurse practitioners will prescribe anti-anxiety medication, antidepressants, or beta blockers to help manage or reduce symptoms.3 If you choose to pursue medications, you and your doctor will discuss the best option for you.
Final Thoughts on Anthropophobia
Individuals experiencing anthropophobia or symptoms related to it may have difficulty overcoming these feelings and experiences. However, help does exist and you are not alone! There are therapy and medication options used to target your concerns. Plus, reaching out to people you trust can help you to stabilize, reach your goals, and improve your quality of life.
Additional Resources
- Mental Health America
- National Alliance on Mental Health
- MentalHealth.gov
- Online Therapist Directory: Sort therapists by specialty, cost, availability and more. Watch intro videos and see articles written by the therapists you’re considering working with. When you’ve found a good match, book an online therapy appointment with them directly.
Are you ready to connect with a therapist but feel a little overwhelmed by all your options? Speak with one of Choosing Therapy’s Client Navigators. Client Navigators are mental health professionals who will listen to what you’re looking for in a therapist and help pair you with the best possible fit. Getting started is free, easy, and confidential.
