Reddit posts reveal how natural environments affect social anxiety in young people.

Résumé

Social anxiety disorder affects over one-third of young people globally and is characterized by intense fear of social situations and concern about judgment from others. While effective treatments exist, many individuals remain undiagnosed or delay seeking treatment, highlighting the importance of identifying complementary strategies. Natural environments have shown benefit for mental health, yet their therapeutic potential for social anxiety remains understudied from the patient's perspective. We analyzed Reddit posts from adolescents and young adults in a social anxiety community to explore their experiences with green and blue spaces. From over 535,000 posts, we identified 1,887 nature-related posts through computational and manual review. The results showed a complex relationship between natural environments and social anxiety symptoms. While many users reported that being in the outdoors and outdoor activities helped reduce their anxiety and improved their moods, others described the environments as triggering due to fears of being observed or judged. Our findings suggest that natural environments may be perceived as helpful, accessible options for managing social anxiety, particularly when combined with physical activity. However, interventions must be carefully designed to address the unique social evaluation concerns that distinguish social anxiety from other anxiety disorders. These insights could inform the development of nature-based approaches that complement traditional treatments.