A study revealed that a large percentage of China's youths may suffer from social anxiety disorder. Out of 1,544 people polled for the study, up to half admitted to experiencing such disorders. 

State-owned newspaper China Youth Daily, who carried out the survey, reported that 44.9 percent of the participants are socially anxious while 66.7 percent are more likely to feel stressed in real life situations than on the internet. 

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About 57 percent think that anxiety in social interactions are normal, while 14.4 percent see it as a mental health issue and that those who suffer from it needs to see a psychologist. Up to 36 percent a=were very concerned about their behavior in front of others, while 35.8 percent admitted to being uncomfortable with strangers. 

"I don't know what to do or where to put my hands. The sense is particularly strong when I need to speak,"  a third-year student from Jiangxi province said. 

The study also revealed that 32.3 percent of the participants feel very stressed before attending a party, and 23 percent criticize themselves after a social gathering. 44.6 percent said that they are afraid of being the center of attention. 

Zhang Ting (not the person's real name), is a university freshman and has social anxiety. She has few friends in the new city where she's studying and feels too embarrassed to participate in social gatherings, Zhang told China Youth Daily. 

Furthermore, 15.5 percent said they care very much about the status of their social media posts, about who liked them and how many people commented. 

"Social anxiety comes mainly from physical and family factors," said Shu Man, deputy director of the Psychological Health Education Research Center of East China Jiaotong University.

Tagssocial anxiety in China, social gatherings, Chinese youth