Symptoms

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists down a few symptoms of GAD on their official website. These include excessive worrying, nervousness, difficulty in concentration, troubled sleep schedules, etc. People with anxiety tend to overthink situations more than the average person and worry about future scenarios that may seem implausible to other people. They may sometimes experience anxiety attacks which aren’t the same as panic attacks, although the terms are used interchangeably. Anxiety attacks are usually caused by a particular event and have a cause and origin. During anxiety attacks, people with anxiety may be extra sensitive to stimuli such as repetitive sounds, actions, etc. Trouble going to sleep or staying asleep is another symptom of anxiety if the person is being kept awake by their thoughts. They find it tough to relax or fully immerse themselves in any activity. But anxiety isn’t simply a feeling, anxiety triggers the body’s fight or flight response which results in the manifestation of physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, muscle pain or tightening of muscles, teeth grinding, sweating, nauseousness, etc. This causes people to sometimes confuse it for a physical ailment and not consider a mental aspect to it.

Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety Disorder is a medically diagnosable condition that is one step further than introversion and shyness. It is extremely common and causes people to have trouble going on dates, talking to new people, public speaking, attending parties, etc. These issues originate from a fear of being publicly humiliated or snubbed or being judged for any of their actions. Social anxiety can be dealt with by self-soothing methods but it causes a person to be crippled when it comes to socialising. Thus naturally, people with social anxiety tend to avoid large gatherings or even any places where they might meet new people. They choose to stay home and decline invitations as soon as they come in. This behaviour may sound familiar as is stereotypically assumed for introverts. So it is not a surprise that introversion and social anxiety are used interchangeably, but that isn’t correct.

Introverts are basically people who are more concerned with their inner world than the outside world. Unlike extroverts, who get energized and feel connected to people while socialising, it is only a tedious task to introverts, who would if given the choice, choose to stay at home alone. But contrary to popular belief, being an introvert does not equate shyness or a lack of social skills. Introverts could be master people pleasers and could charm their way around a room whole wishing they were at home watching a movie instead. So while some introverts may have social anxiety and some people with social anxiety may be introverted, these two qualities do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Extroverts and Social Anxiety

On a completely opposite note, extroverts are seen as loud, funny and dynamic personalities who cannot possibly know how to stay quiet. So the idea of an extrovert having social anxiety seems entirely impossible. And even if it does seem possible, it is assumed that it would be very easy to observe.  But as definitely as they exist, it is also extra tough for them to handle both extraversion and social anxiety at the same time. While some of them may simply choose to stay home and avoid putting themselves in positions where they would have to socialize, others try to force themselves to get out there and end up making themselves miserable. The ones who stay at home, end up convincing themselves and people around them that they’re an introvert when in reality they have much more fun going outside and hanging out with people. The ones who do force themselves to go outside, live in constant fear where they question every single step they take or every sentence they speak. They might replay conversations and try to figure out if they did something wrong and overthink themselves into a frenzy of worry and nervousness over future interactions.

Thus, extroverts with social anxiety find themselves in a unique conundrum. While they need social interactions to thrive, those very interactions also cause them immense amounts of worry.

Tips to Work Through Social Anxiety

Be mindful. Anxiety makes you worry about the future or the past so it is important to keep reminding yourself that the present is all that matters.

Give yourself time. Allow yourself space to get comfortable with the idea of a situation before putting yourself in it. For example, do not immediately force yourself to go for tryouts in a huge club without some time to wrap your mind around the idea.

Start small. Take small steps towards what you want to achieve while constantly showing your inner critic that you’re doing well. For example, instead of going to a huge party full of strangers, go to a small lunch with friends and maybe 1 or 2 mutual friends that you have never talked to.

Remember that you’re not alone and chances are there may be a lot more people around you who are dealing with social anxiety that isn’t obvious to you.

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Revelations

This conversation that sparked due to the movie, however, revealed a very lengthy and detailed history of serial killer fandoms existing long before movies were made about them. Even before being portrayed by Zac Efron; Ted Bundy, who has a reputation for killing young women by lulling them into a sense of security by his slightly above average good looks and charm had already become somewhat of a heartthrob in a whole different world. In the serial killer fandoms, famous murders like Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez and the Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold are the equivalent of the likes of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and even Zac Efron. Records show that killers like Richard Ramirez and Ted Bundy used to have courtrooms full of fangirls & girlfriends cheering them on during their trials and sending them love letter in prison. Bundy, who represented himself, would hear cheers every time he stepped up to speak. There would be long lines to meet them in prison, so much so that some of them would have to be turned away.

Richard Ramirez court appearance in California Supreme Court, Los Angeles

One such killer, known to have murdered at least 14 people, and till date the most popular of all, Richard Ramirez, also known as the night stalker, had thousand of fans. His execution was delayed continuously due to hundred of appeals being filed for its stay. He eventually married one of his fans and was married for 12 years before he died. Ramirez was hyped for his good looks and tragic backstory where women tried to find excuses for his actions and painted him as someone who was forced by society and his environment to do what he did.

Hybristophilia

This phenomenon of being sexually attracted to serial killers and mass murderers is called hybristophilia by experts. It is not only limited to a fascination or daydreaming obsession with these dangerous men but is a very real sexual attraction that the person may act upon by contacting the said killer. Not much research has been done upon this phenomenon but it is more commonly observable in women and is usually directed towards white male murderers. This obsession may be due to the thrill of being with someone dangerous or due to a saviour complex where the person may be led to believe that they can help fix what they think is a damaged person. People, in particular women, start empathising with the killer due to their past and imagining that they are just misunderstood and need someone to love and care for them.

Teen Girls Obsessed with Serial Killers

An article by Joshua Surtees written for vice talks about the virtual fandoms that have become popular for murderers and serial killers, some of whom aren’t even alive. These include trending hashtags and imaginary scenarios. While in the past affection to them was shown by letters and prison visits, the age of social media has allowed fandoms to form and like-minded people to come together. Fandoms in forms of social media pages attract thousands of followers most of which are teenage girls and surprisingly a lot of these women identified themselves as feminists even though the victims of most of these killers were women. They seem to think it is easy to separate these two since they can’t control their sexual attraction to these people. In interviews taken of these girls, it was discovered that they find it thrilling to be with someone who is capable of killing. Their obsession is taken very lightly by their families and peers and isn’t usually seen as something to be worried about.

Underlying Issues

This obsession isn’t always harmless. On one hand, it is worrying how only white cis male killers receive large amounts of support. It points to people’s tendency to try to humanize white males and not just label them as killers and murders. They are excused for their actions much like they always have been throughout history. They are seen as troubled men instead of heartless demons. Their victims are forgotten and dehumanised, seen only as stories, while they themselves are glorified and given the attention and popularity that they were looking for in the first place.

On the other hand, a lot of times, this obsession is not about sexual attraction and is instead of idealisation. Gullible trouble teens easily fall prey to a fascination with the crimes committed by these criminals and are inspired to try it themselves. Such was a case of a 14-year-old girl obsessed with Ted Bundy who tried to murder her girlfriend and even created a list of people she wanted to kill. And the fact that it is seen as normal and accepted by families poses a question of worry, could the next Ted Bundy be a fangirl who got too carried away?

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Origin

The science of psychology itself is relatively new, being 100 years old at most, but the study of how colours affect our lives has been a topic of discussion since long before. Aristotle developed the first theory related to colour, believing it was sent from God through heavenly rays of light. He said that all colours known to us came from the colours white or black. He related colours to the four elements – earth, water, fire and air. Describing how fire had the colour red and yellow in it while air stood for the colour white. This was followed by Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of colours in his book Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light published in 1704. This book analyzes the basic nature and behaviour of light by using refraction through prisms and lenses, the diffraction of light by closely spaced sheets of glass, and the behaviour of color mixtures with spectral lights or pigment powders. In 1810 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published a book called Theory of Colours (German: Zur Farbenlehre) about his views on the nature of colours and how these are perceived by humans. It was published in English in 1840. The book contains detailed descriptions of phenomena such as coloured shadows, refraction, and chromatic aberration. So Goethe’s work was the first of its kind to start considering the physiological aspect of colours.

Colour is light, it’s all around us at all times. The first thing we consciously or subconsciously notice about any object is its colour so it most certainly plays an important role in how we view things. Some researchers believe this is part of our primitive instincts, the ones we needed to survive in the wild but which we have now adapted to more sophisticated uses. We are very easily swayed when choosing which brands to shop with, just by their brand colours. Even blind or colour blind people are sensitive to colour Psychology. Although, it still also works alongside our survival instincts. For example, if a housefly was to enter your house, you wouldn’t be very surprised to see a blob of black flying around, but if this same insect happened to be yellow and black in colour, you would immediately become very wary of it.

Colour Theories

Micco Groenholm talking about colour affects talks about the difference between colour Psychology and colour symbolism. While colour Psychology talks about unconscious colour preferences that show us a person’s personality, colour symbolism is the result of cultural or religious biases which have caused certain colours to be associated with certain things. Colour symbolism is ingrained in our brains and does not happen subconsciously. A few examples of colour symbolism are how the western world views green as the colour for jealousy, while in Ireland it is seen as a representative of good luck. The religion Islam uses the colour green to represent peace. A lot of times the symbolism may contradict itself for certain people in certain areas. Such as green, while being seen as the colour representing jealousy in America, due to the influence of Shakespeare who first used the term ‘green-eyed monster’, also represents wealth and social status because of the green dollars. Most Americans know both these meanings for the colour, but the meaning that they choose to believe in is based entirely on them and their personal experiences. This difficulty of differentiating between colour Psychology and colour symbolism may be the biggest discouragement to more research on these topics.

Another limitations that researchers face when studying colour Psychology are the shades and tones in colours. There are 11 basic colours recognised by everyone but colours exist on a spectrum, even a slight shift in tone or shade may result in a completely new colour. It isn’t sure how much this would affect how people feel about the particular colour but it is known that people respond differently to warm-toned colours and cool-toned colours and the same colour can exist in both warm and cool-toned forms. 

Colour Preferences

Unlike usual assumptions, no colour has only negative or only positive connotations. How you see each colour depends entirely on you and the environment that you have been surrounded with. Almost every research that has been done about the preferred colour in adults worldwide, has resulted in the same answer, blue, yet blue is also associated with negative emotions such as sadness, coldness, etc. This is why, which colour a person prefers, after taking into account the culture they were brought up in, may tell us a lot about their personality. For example, while someone may see red as the colour for passion, others may see it as the colour for aggression. What is interesting is to note that everyone all around the world does seem to agree on the fact that red represents a strong emotion. Colour preference varies, not just by region, religion and culture but also age and gender. It was found that while adults did have a colour that the majority of them preferred, children’s answers varied more. This may be due to the lack of learned colour symbolism in children or a lack of a properly cultivated personality.

Most of the research done in colours is about the colour preferences of a group or of an individual and how these reveal their personality. An important part of colour preference is usually forgotten and that is when other people associate a particular colour with a person. As is generally agreed upon, different people see different aspects of our personality and this affects how they think of us in general. People sharing the same culture tend to relate the same meanings to a colour. 

Conclusion

A very telling way of understanding personality as seen by other people is to ask them to choose which colour they associate with you. While some of these associations are unconsciously made with a colour they see the person wearing a lot or talking about a lot, more often than not, they come from the subconscious. Since Colour Psychology is backed by such little research, it has a lot of disbelievers and appropriately so. Most of what is known about Colour Psychology is not usually backed by facts but it is always a topic of interest and does have some much more believable aspects but even then the infinite possibilities of Colour Psychology have only been scratched on the surface by the research conducted on it. 

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