Reply #78: The thing is though, that the shy *aren't* shy in a small group where they know everyone.. [View All]

So the difference between shy and not shy basically disappears in that sort of milieu.

It's only when the shy are faced with people they don't know well that shyness becomes an issue, ie: in a culture where you must interact with a lot of strangers, where it then becomes an at least moderate handicap to social and even monetary success.

It's also worth noting that shy people are not necessarily physically fearful or timid people, shy people skydive, rock climb and bungee jump just like their non shy brethren.

I suspect that civilization will eventually evolutionarily select out shyness to some extent since it is an impediment to breeding success in larger societies, assuming of course that civilization lasts long enough for this to happen.