Social anxiety, also called social phobia, is overpowering self-consciousness and an intense fear of being ridiculed, rejected or judged by others. As the National Institute of Mental Health defines it, social anxiety is a common type of anxiety disorder that interferes with everyday life and makes social interactions difficult [1]. Far more than just shyness or introversion, social anxiety can make it challenging to speak in front of larger groups, meeting new people, answering questions in class or during an interview, or even feeling uncomfortable returning a wrong order in a restaurant or asking the cashier for a product in the supermarket.
Although we all sometimes feel self-conscious and worried about certain social situations, for those with social anxiety disorder, the condition is all-consuming, and they tend to overthink and worry before, during and after interactions. For some, the mere idea of interacting with others can cause discomfort, for others, anxiety arises in performance-based or high-visibility situations]. What unites these experiences is the deep fear of being negatively evaluated or judged.
Before labelling yourself or someone close to you with anxiety, it’s important to understand the symptoms of social anxiety.
The fear that happens as a sign of social anxiety is not fleeting or easily controlled. The National Health Service (NHS) explains that people with social anxiety experience a complex set of physical, emotional and mental symptoms, such as [2]:
Social anxiety can interfere with everyday activities, including communication and interacting with others, as well as broader personal, professional or school life and relationships. Subsequently, social phobia negatively impacts self-confidence, resilience and mindset.
Furthermore, people with social phobia may also be more likely to have comorbid disorders like panic disorder, depression or generalised anxiety disorder.
The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) is a type of social anxiety disorder test, particularly focusing on the symptoms of anxiety connected to the fear of being negatively judged.
This validated and shortened form of the social anxiety test is appropriate for adults and teenagers and can help them identify whether an individual has a strong fear of being negatively evaluated.
It’s important to emphasise that the BFNE test is not a complete anxiety disorder test. Instead, it measures only one aspect of anxiety – fear of judgement. Furthermore, social anxiety disorder is a mental health diagnosis that can only be assessed and diagnosed by a professional mental health provider or psychiatrist. Nonetheless, this test is a useful, online, free screening tool that can provide a general indication of one’s fear of judgement.
Watson and Friend designed the FNE test in 1969 1983 [3]. It aimed to measure fear of negative evaluation and was initially validated in student and patient populations in English-speaking countries. Later, in 1983, psychologist Mark R. Leary created a brief version of the FNE test, drawing 12 items from the original 30-question format [4].
As researchers from Canada emphasise in their article, the BFNE test is highly valid and reliable [5]. It measures fear of negative evaluation consistently and precisely, giving similar results across repeated administrations and reflecting changes after treatment or therapy.
This makes the FNE anxiety test highly accurate and relevant for assessing fear of negative evaluation and judgement.
Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale
These items can be found in: Leary, M. R. (1983). A brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 9(3), 371-375.
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