Running head: OBSERVING OTHERS ON ANXIETY LEVELS 1

The Effects of Observing Others on Anxiety Levels

S. Armstrong, B. Grisham, T. Pelletier, A. Thoma, A. Turpin

Northwest Missouri State University

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Abstract

The Effects of Observing Others on Anxiety Levels

Nearly forty million people in America suffer from anxiety every year, making anxiety

the most common mental illness (Anxiety Disorder, 2005). According to the brain and behavior

research foundation, anxiety primarily presents itself in five different disorders; generalized

anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD), and social phobia (social anxiety disorder). At one time social anxiety disorder

(SAD) was considered to only occur in performance situations such as public speaking (Davies,

Fresco, Heimberg, Liebowitz, Mennin, & Schneier, 2002). SAD is one of the most common

mental disorders, prevalent in over 13% of the general population (Kessler et al., 1994). Until

recently SAD was not believed to be prevalent or significantly impairing. However, there has

been recent interest in the study and treatment of the disorder (Davies, et al., 2002). DSM-IV has

reported SAD as the third most common psychiatric disorder behind major depression and

alcohol abuse (Chaudhary, Kanwal, Malhotra & Rajender, 2009). In a study conducted over a

two year period by Kessler, Stein, and Berglund, experimenters surveyed 8,098 participants

selected from a non-institutionalized household population. Kessler and co-workers findings

supported that public speaking fears were the most common. The study also concluded that there

was a 49.3% for fear of talking with others and a 35.4% for things like using the toilet away from

home (Kessler et al., 1994). The measure used to determine the percentage of fears was very

similar to a measure called the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Behavioral tests like the

LSAS can be used to assess the specific cues and intensity of fears, physical sensations, negative

thoughts, and anxious coping strategies (Chaudhary et al., 2009). The LSAS is commonly used

to measure social anxiety levels because of its impressive validity (Davies, et al., 2002). The
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Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale uses a number of typical social and performance situations to

assess the degree of anxiety or avoidance in that situation. Usually, an overall score is used,

however, there are also subscale scores of anxiety or avoidance in which social interaction or

performance situations can be calculated (Davies, et al., 2002). What was once considered a

neglected anxiety disorder is now widespread and recognized as an impairing disorder. It is

treatable, unfortunately, however, Social Anxiety is rarely diagnosed or treated in primary care

settings (Chaudhary et al., 2009).

A study conducted by Bernice Andrews and John Wilding found that 20% of college

students begin suffering from clinically significant anxiety around halfway through the trimester.

From this finding they were able to predict a decrease in exam performance from first to second

year. (Andrews & Wilding, 2004). This information lead us to wonder if being around others or

observing someone suffering from anxiety lead to one’s own anxiety increasing. After extensive

research on the topic there was little, if any, research regarding the impacts of others anxiety.

This lead us to conduct a study comparing the relationships between anxiety levels in people

who observe someone else suffering from high anxiety and people who do not observe anyone.

Our hypothesis was that people who observe others suffering from high anxiety will suffer from

higher anxiety levels themselves, than people who do not observe anyone suffering from high

anxiety.

Method

Participants

In this study, we gathered data from 25 undergrad students attending Northwest Missouri

State University ranging from 18-22 years of age. We used a non-probability sample which was

made up of General Psychology students. Thirteen participants were randomly assigned to the
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experimental group and twelve participants were randomly assigned to the control group. The

sample was obtained from the participants who complete the survey.

Materials

The video the experimental group watched was found on YouTube titled “Boom goes the

Dynamite”. The video is 3 minutes and 55 seconds long and consists of a sportscaster suffering

from anxiety while on live television.

The instrument used to measure the anxiety levels among the students was the Liebowitz

Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) (Davies, et al., 2002). LSAS is a survey consisting of 24 statements

for participants to answer. The survey consists of two subscales, one measuring fear/anxiety and

the other measuring avoidance. Items consist of situations that could provoke anxiety, for

example “Participating in small groups” and “Being the center of attention”.

Response options for both subscales are on a 3 point scale with options 0 – 3. For the

subscale of fear/anxiety 0 corresponds with “None,” and 3 corresponds with “Severe.” For the

subscale of avoidance 0 corresponds with “Never,” and 3 corresponds with “Usually.” The

participants read each question, answering the questions to the best of their ability for both

subscales. Each question should have two answers, one for fear/anxiety and one for avoidance.

They should follow this same format for all 24 questions. LSAS has established reliability and

validity for the measure (Davies, et al., 2002).

Design and Procedures

The research design for this study is experimental as it studies the relationship between

observing others’ anxiety levels on one’s own anxiety levels. The independent variable in this
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study is the video that the experimental group watched and the dependent variable in this study is

the level of anxiety experienced by the observer.

As participants arrived they were asked to have a seat and fill out an informed consent

form. After obtaining the informed consent participants in the experimental group watched a

video of someone suffering from high anxiety while giving a sports telecast. Participants were

then given the LSAS survey to complete, participants were told each questions should have two

answers. Control group participants received only the LSAS survey. After all surveys were

turned in participants were debriefed. Participants were then asked if they had any questions and

were thanked for their time. On average the time to complete the study was around 5 – 10

minutes.

Results

An independent samples t-test was used to determine if observing others anxiety

impacted one's own anxiety. The scores of anxiety were used from the Liebowitz Social Anxiety

Scale. Scores were computed by finding the total in each column, Anxiety and Avoidance, and

adding those scores together resulting in a minimum possible score of 0 and a maximum of 144.

The scores from the LSAS ranged from 8 to 106 with a mean score of 58.80 (SD = 28.4, n = 25).

The mean for the video group is 66.38 (SD = 27.91, n = 13). The mean for the control group is

50.58 (SD = 27.71, n = 12). The independent t-test determined that our findings were not

significant (p = .911).

Discussion

In the results we discussed the relationship between one’s level of anxiety and how it is

affected by observing another’s. We stated in our hypothesis that observing others suffering from

high anxiety levels would result in a rise in the anxiety levels of the observer. The results of our
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experiment were not strong enough to draw a solid conclusion. Although the relationship was in

the correct direction, it was not statistically significant. These results gave us an idea of how

observing others’ anxiety affects the anxiety levels of the observer, however, the sample was so

small, and there was so much variability that we cannot reject the null hypothesis. There is a

possibility that a Type 2 error occurred in our experiment; there is a difference between the

groups, but we cannot see it due to the variability. This helps explain why there is not much

information out there regarding this relationship. At one time social anxiety disorder (SAD) was

considered to only occur in performance situations such as public speaking (Davies et al., 2002).

In our design, the experimental group watched a man clearly struggling with his anxiety levels.

Instead of actually publicly speaking themselves, our participants reported their anxiety levels on

the LSAS based strictly on their observations, not experience. Andrews and Wilding found that

20% of college students begin suffering from clinically significant anxiety around halfway

through the trimester (Andrews, Wilding, 2004). This could have had an impact on our results

because of the point in the semester we conducted the experiment. The data and results were

easy to read and understand however, difficult to explain because of the sample size and room

for variability. A few weaknesses in the study include slop and the LSAS. There were

participants in the study who walked in late, and others who were not very focused and using

their cell phones. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale could also be questioned because of the

wide range of possible scores. A possible next step for a more successful study could be to get a

bigger sample to increase the power of the scores. This would decrease the chance of another

occurrence of a Type 2 error.

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References

Andrews, B., & Wilding, J. (2004). The Relation of Depression and Anxiety to Life-Stress and

Achievement in Students. British Journal of Psychology, 95, 509-521. Doi:

10.1348/0007126042369802

Anxiety Disorder. (2005). Retrieved December 10, 2016, from

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-anxiety-disorder-among-

adults.shtml

Ates, B. (2016). Social Phobia as a Predictor of Social Competence Perceived by

Teenagers. International Education Studies, 9(4), 77. doi:10.5539/ies.v9n4p77

Chaudhary, D., Kanwal, K., Malhotra, S., & Rajender, G. (2009). Too Shy to be Shy: Current

Update on Social Anxiety Disorder. Delhi Psychiatry Journal, 12(1), 61-66.

Davies, S. O., Fresco, D. M., Heimberg, R. G., Liebowitz, M. R., Mennin, D. S., & Schneier, F.

R. (2002). Screening for social anxiety disorder in the clinical setting: Using the

Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16(6), 661-673.

doi:10.1016/s0887-6185(02)00134-2

Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety Disorders. Brain and Behavior Research

Foundation, (2016). https://bbrfoundation.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-anxiety-

disorders

Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., & Berglund, P. (1998). Social Phobia Subtypes in the National

Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 613-619.

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Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

Fear or Anxiety: Avoidance:

0 = None 0 = Never (0%)
1 = Mild 1 = Occasionally (1—33%)
2 = Moderate 2 = Often (33—67%)
3 = Severe 3 = Usually (67—100%)
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS)
Fear/Anxiety Avoidance
1. )Telephoning in public
2.) Participating in small group
3.) Eating in public places
4.) Drinking with others in public places.
5. )Talking to people in authority
6.) Acting, performing or giving a talk in front of an audience.
7.) Going to a party.
8.) Working while being observed.
9.) Writing while being observed.
10.) Calling someone you don’t know very well.
11.) Talking with people you don’t know very well
12.) Meeting strangers.
13.) Urinating in a public bathroom.
14.) Entering a room when others are already seated.
15.) Being the center of attention.
16.) Speaking up at a meeting
17.) Taking a test.
18.) Expressing a disagreement or disapproval to people you don’t know very
well.
19.) Looking at people you don’t know very well in the eyes.
20.) Giving a report to a group.
21.) Trying to pick up someone.
22.) Returning goods to a store.
23.) Giving a party.
24.) Resisting a high pressure salesperson.