“...well written and engaging without sacrificing scholarship....A valuable addition to a psychology collection, which will serve a variety of audiences, undergraduate through professional.”

—Choice


“Dr. Leary is an established expert and acknowledged master of the field, and Dr. Kowalski is an up-and-coming young star. Their work has extraordinary range and offers countless useful insights. Researchers, practitioners, and the curious public will all find smooth prose and great wisdom in this book. It is an integrative, important, state-of-the-art analysis of a common component of our shared human drama, our fears of what others may be thinking of us.”

—Rowland S. Miller, PhD, Sam Houston State University


“Leary and Kowalski provide an entertaining yet highly informative theoretical discussion of the causes, concomitants, and consequences of social anxiety. Their review of the vast literature on social and related anxieties is both thorough and scholarly. Social Anxiety is extraordinarily comprehensive and a delight to read. I recommend it highly to my social and clinical psychology colleagues.”

—James A. Shepperd, PhD, University of Florida


“This is a fascinating and authoritative work on social anxiety. Leary and Kowalski do a thorough and thoughtful job of covering the research literature on this important topic. It is a valuable resource for readers and therapists, as well as anyone who is curious about the basic human project of getting along with others. It is pleasant and easy to read, yet sophisticated enough for the expert. It covers the latest theories and research findings.”

—Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, E. B. Smith Professor of Psychology, author of Losing Control and Meanings of Life