that is involved in the experience of basic emotions, including fear), and the hippocampus  
(a part of the limbic system that controls memory and spatial abilities). Furthermore, 
treatment of social anxiety with either cognitive behavioral therapy or medication leads 
to  reductions in activity in the amygdala and hippocampus (Furmark et al. 2002).
Studies examining the role of neurotransmitters (the chemicals responsible for 
 transmitting information throughout the brain) in social anxiety have yielded mixed 
results (McCabe and Antony, in press). Some studies suggest that the neurotransmitter 
dopamine  may be involved in social anxiety, whereas other studies have failed to replicate 
these ﬁndings. Studies regarding the role of serotonin (another neurotransmitter) have 
also yielded mixed ﬁndings. However, medications that work on the serotonin system 
have consistently been found to be helpful for decreasing the symptoms of social anxiety 
disorder (more on this in chapter 5).
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
In addition to biology, people’s experiences and beliefs also contribute to whether they 
develop difﬁculties with social anxiety and shyness. The ways in which learning and 
beliefs contribute to social anxiety are discussed in this section.