Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) involves chronic, excessive worry about various aspects of everyday life, such as health, work, or finances, often without a specific trigger.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), on the other hand, is characterized by an intense fear of social or performance situations, where one fears being judged, embarrassed, or criticized by others.
| Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) | Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) |
|---|---|
| Excessive, pervasive worry about various aspects of life | Fear of social scrutiny and embarrassment in social situations |
| Uncertain future events, daily responsibilities | Social interactions, public speaking, performance situations |
| Restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, sleep disturbances | Blushing, trembling, sweating, rapid heartbeat in social situations |
| Persistent worry, difficulty controlling worry, overthinking | Excessive self-consciousness, fear of being judged or humiliated |
| Procrastination, avoiding decision-making | Avoiding social situations, social isolation |
| Multiple areas of life and future events | Social interactions and scrutiny |
| Persistent worry throughout the day | Situation-specific worry and anticipation |
| Impairs daily functioning, affects productivity, and relationships | Interferes with forming relationships, academic/work performance |
It's important to note that while there are similarities and differences between SAD and GAD, a comprehensive evaluation by a mental health professional is necessary to accurately diagnose and determine appropriate management strategies based on an individual's specific signs and experiences.
Similarities
Physical sensations
Both generalized anxiety and social anxiety trigger the fight-or-flight response, leading to the same physical sensations associated with being faced with actual danger.
When faced or imagining a fear, a person may experience signs such as a rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath.
Intense worry
Both generalized anxiety and social anxiety are anxiety disorders that are characterized by persistent worry that is disproportionate to any actual threat.
Both generalized anxiety and social anxiety involve catastrophizing, a cognitive distortion characterized by assuming worst-case scenarios.
Those with GAD may catastrophize about their family’s safety, believing that something bad will happen to them, while someone with SAD may catastrophize about being negatively judged in a social situation.
Avoidance
Those with generalized anxiety or social anxiety may often try to avoid a feared situation as much as possible to reduce their anxiety.
Avoidance is a coping mechanism that can decrease anxiety at first but worsen anxiety in the long run.
The more someone with generalized anxiety or social anxiety avoids what they are fearful of, the more likely they are to continue to use avoidance.
Safety behaviors
Safety behaviors are another way that people with generalized anxiety or social anxiety can cope with their anxiety.
These behaviors include relying on medication, having an exit plan, excessive phone use, or having a person go with them to fearful settings.
Although safety behaviors can help reduce feelings of anxiety, people can become too dependent on them.
These behaviors prevent individuals from realizing that their fears might be exaggerated or unfounded.
Similar complications
People with generalized anxiety or social anxiety may isolate themselves for fear of either social situations or their generalized worries.
This could result in unhappiness with life and potentially lead to other issues, such as depressed feelings, relationship struggles, and academic or occupational impacts.
Neurobiological Underpinnings
Anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety and social anxiety involve several key brain regions and neurotransmitter systems.
While the amygdala, associated with fear and threat responses, plays a significant role in both conditions, other regions, such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, are also involved. These areas help regulate emotions and stress responses.
Neurotransmitters, including serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA,) further influence anxiety by modulating brain activity.
Similar management strategies
Both generalized anxiety and social anxiety can be managed similarly. Medications such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and benzodiazepines have been shown to be effective for both anxiety disorders.
Likewise, therapeutic treatments, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), may be used for both disorders.
Differences
Differences in thoughts
Although the thought patterns and cognitive distortions can be similar for those with generalized anxiety and social anxiety, the content of the thoughts distinguishes the two conditions.
Those with GAD worry about various topics, from health and finances to relationships, while those with SAD have intense fears about social situations such as meeting new people, speaking in front of others, or being observed.
GAD thought: “I’m worried I didn’t save enough money to retire comfortably. What if I run out of money and struggle financially?”
SAD thought: “I’m afraid I’ll stumble over my words when I give this presentation at work. My colleagues will think I’m incompetent.”
Differences in beliefs
Whilst those with generalized anxiety and social anxiety will both have unhelpful beliefs, the types of beliefs they have can differ.
People with SAD may have the belief that there is something wrong with them, while someone with GAD might believe there is – or will be – something wrong with the world.
GAD belief: “Unless I keep worrying about my finances, I won’t be adequately prepared if something bad happens.”
SAD belief: “I’m awkward and weird. If I talk to people, they won’t like me.”
Differences in avoidance
While both generalized anxiety and social anxiety are characterized by a high degree of avoidance, the reason for the avoidance is likely to differ for both.
Someone with GAD may avoid attending a work meeting due to worries of not preparing enough and thinking they won’t be able to finish everything in time, while someone with SAD may avoid work meetings out of fear of being judged by colleagues.
GAD avoidance: Jane avoided making any major purchases or financial commitments because she worried extensively about debt and managing her money.
SAD avoidance: Mark declined invitations to attend office happy hours because he feared embarrassing himself socially around coworkers.
Differences in onset
Generalized anxiety and social anxiety typically emerge at different points in a person’s life. SAD often begins in early adolescence, around the age of 13, when social interactions and peer relationships become increasingly significant.
In contrast, GAD commonly appears later, often in early adulthood, with an average onset around the age of 31.
Impact on Daily Life
Though both generalized anxiety and social anxiety significantly affect daily life, the manner of this impact often differs between the two disorders.
Individuals with GAD may find their productivity and decision-making frequently hindered by excessive worry about everyday responsibilities and future uncertainties, leading to chronic stress, procrastination, and difficulty fulfilling daily tasks.
On the other hand, SAD tends to specifically disrupt social interactions and performance situations, causing isolation and missed opportunities for career advancement or relationship building due to fear of embarrassment or negative judgment.
Differences in management
Although the therapeutic options for those with generalized anxiety and social anxiety are similar, the focus of the therapy is often different.
Therapy for SAD will often involve challenging the individual’s feelings of being judged and fear of embarrassment in social situations. However, therapy for GAD will focus on controlling an individual’s multiple worries.
Is it possible to have GAD and SAD at the same time?
It is possible – and not uncommon – to experience symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) at the same time.
In such cases, anxiety is widespread across many aspects of life and is particularly intense during social interactions.
You might notice persistent, broad worries about everyday matters like health, finances, or work alongside a strong fear of social situations or being judged by others.
Physical signs of anxiety can be constant. You might experience ongoing muscle tension, restlessness (feeling on edge), and fatigue.
These symptoms can then spike when facing social situations – for example, you might feel a racing heart, start sweating, or blush when meeting people or speaking in groups.
Thought patterns often combine GAD’s “what if” catastrophizing (expecting something bad will happen in general) with SAD’s self-conscious concerns (fearing saying something embarrassing or being negatively evaluated).
As a result, avoidance behaviors may extend to both arenas: you might put off daily tasks due to overwhelming worry and also avoid social events or speaking up out of fear of embarrassment.
How to Tell GAD and SAD Apart in Yourself
Do you have trouble determining whether you may have generalized anxiety or social anxiety? Reflecting on the following questions can help identify key differences between the two based on your own experiences:
Note that this is not a diagnostic tool. Please seek support from a health professional if you think you could be struggling with generalized anxiety or social anxiety.
Ask Yourself:
Content
- What do I worry about most typically – finances, work, relationships or social embarrassment, being judged?
Triggers
- Is my anxiety more constant or tied to specific social situations like gatherings, talks, or meetings?
Physical Signs
- Do I feel general or social anxiety more in my body through symptoms like muscle tension or rapid heart beat?
Thought Patterns
- Do my anxious thoughts center more around something bad happening or around being negatively evaluated?
Avoidance Behavior
- Am I more likely to avoid commitments out of daily worry or social events for fear of embarrassment?
Beliefs
- Do I believe something is fundamentally wrong with the world or with myself as the core issue?
Carefully examining your thought patterns, physical symptoms, behaviors, and what situations tend to prompt anxiety or avoidance can uncover helpful clues if generalized anxiety or social anxiety resonates with your personal experiences more predominantly.
Noticing these distinctions can guide what specialized treatment and self-help strategies may be most effective if you do seek further support.
Recognizing whether generalized worry or social anxiety represents greater daily impairments is an important initial step for safeguarding emotional health over the long run if anxiety feels uncontrolled.
Self-Help and Coping Strategies
For those experiencing GAD, SAD, or both, the following strategies can help manage symptoms:
- Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation.
- Maintain regular physical activity to reduce stress and improve mood.
- Create a structured daily routine to provide predictability and reduce uncertainty.
- Use journaling to identify triggers and reflect on anxiety-provoking thoughts.
- Gradually expose yourself to feared social situations or tasks to build confidence.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption, as these can worsen anxiety symptoms.
- Seek social support from trusted individuals or support groups to reduce isolation.
- Prioritize adequate sleep and healthy dietary habits to enhance overall resilience.
References
Khdour, H. Y., Abushalbaq, O. M., Mughrabi, I. T., Imam, A. F., Gluck, M. A., Herzallah, M. M., & Moustafa, A. A. (2016). Generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder, but not panic anxiety disorder, are associated with higher sensitivity to learning from negative feedback: behavioral and computational investigation. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, 10, 20.
Zhang, F. (2020). Neuroticism. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Models and Theories, 281-286.)
Further Information
Can Extroverts Have Social Anxiety?
Avoidant Personality Disorder vs. Social Anxiety
Self-Help Resources for Social Anxiety
Self-Help Resources for Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
