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Impact of Social Anxiety on Each Avenger

Social Anxiety is not an Avengers level threat to the world by any means, but it can be a problem to each Avenger on a more individual level. Read below to see which Avengers would be most impacted by social anxiety.

After Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe for 5 years in Avengers Infinity War, it’s plausible to think that many people around the world could have developed social anxiety. We’ve seen it during the Covid-19 pandemic where people just weren’t around for a while. So the same concept applies that if half the people are snapped away from the world, it’s doubtful that social norms would continue. Socially, people wouldn’t be the same, which could easily lead to social anxiety.

Avengers Impacted by Social Anxiety

Before we rank which Avengers would be most impacted, you should assemble your thoughts about what social anxiety really is. In short, a suit of armor, a mystical hammer, or vibranium shield doesn’t make you immune to it.

*One last thing: below is the social ranking by percent for each Avenger. So the Avenger who is most social is going to be impacted the most by social anxiety. The more social a person is, the more they will be impacted by social anxiety.

Have a look at the graph below. It is the ranking of each of the original six Avengers of how much they’d be impacted by social anxiety. Two parts of their lives are taken into account: Work Life and Social Life. Continue reading and decide if you agree with this ranking.

Each of the original six Avengers ranked against the impact of social anxiety. The Avenger who is most sociable will be impacted the most. The Avenger who is least sociable will be impacted the least.

Iron Man

Work Life

CEO of Stark Industries: Tony Stark kept busy as the head of the company which his father built. As the juggernaut of the weapons industry, Stark maintained a high profile of attending social events, like the Jericho missile demonstration in Afghanistan or the Stark Expo appearances he’d make in front of thousands of people. He kept up with press conferences, board meetings, product demonstrations, and even became a “must see” attraction on Capitol Hill. His work life was heavily reliant on his social personality.

The social necessity for Tony Starks work life is maxed out at 100%. If he developed social anxiety, the impact to his work would be completely devastating.

Social Life

The “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” Tony Stark’s Iron Man is the most socially outgoing Avenger in the MCU. Stark attends tons of parties, takes home seemingly any woman he wants, and is a guest speaker for large organizations, like MIT. Tony Stark even raced his Stark Enterprises race car in Monaco in front of thousands on live tv just because he felt like it. There is no shortage of attention that he doesn’t want and there is no social event that he wouldn’t attend.

The social necessity for Tony Starks social life is maxed out at 100%. If he developed social anxiety, the impact to his character would be devastating. His identity would be changed completely.

Thor

Work Life

Thor’s work life is revolved around two things: (1) protecting the 9 realms from destruction while also protecting Asgard and (2) being in a position of leadership and power. To protect Asgard and the 9 realms means to fight battles against big, powerful aliens. Truthfully, not to many sociable moments we’ve seen during this phase of his work.

On the other hand, to be a leader and have a position of power is a completely different story. As the son of Odin, Thor has the responsibilities of being nothing less than a leader.

He was the center of attention as he bowed in ceremony in front of his father to receive the throne and become king (Thor, 2011).

He was the leader who publicly brought calm to a worried Asgard community of parents when Asgardian children were taken in Love and Thunder (Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022).

Thor publicly scolded and assaulted Loki before undisguising him in Ragnarok (Thor Ragnarok, 2017).

During Avengers Infinity War (2018) we saw Thor meet and persuade the Guardians of the Galaxy (or at least two of them) to join him on a voyage to Nidavellir. Then we saw him maintain this new friendship throughout the beginning scenes of Thor Love and Thunder(2022).

And in 2022’s Love and Thunder, Thor even had a center stage conversation with the mighty Zeus in front of thousands in attendance. Yea there are plenty of sociable moments in being the son of Odin.

Thor’s work life is approximately 75% social, particularly as a leader of Asgard. Developing social anxiety would have a 75% effect on him by limiting his ability to be a good leader.

Social Life

Again, we can break down Thor’s social life into two parts: (1) parties and (2) women. Let’s not forget that Thor believes that after a battle, the victory should be celebrated. This is a lesson he learned from his father in Thor 2 (Thor: The Dark World, 2013). We saw him party-it-up in Thor 2 and in Avengers Age of Ultron. In fact, in Age of Ultron(2015) he brought his own liquor from Asgard, which “is not meant for mortal men”, which he then served to Stan Lee. The God of Thunder came ready to P-A-R-T-Y!

Some of Thor’s biggest social moments however come from women.

The most obvious being when he met and maintained a relationship with Jane Foster in Thor 1, 2, and 4.

Then as he played it cool when realizing that Lady Sif was romantically interested in him in Thor 2 (courtesy of Odin).

Lastly a much more subtle moment to bring up, but definitely one that is anxiety provoking, is one in which random women flirt and touch Thor. We saw this from the woman in the train in Thor: The Dark World (2013). Those moments happen frequently to the God of Thunder and it can lead to some interesting sociable moments.

Thor’s social life is approximately 75% sociable. A big part of it comes from his relationship with Jane. Developing social anxiety would have a 75% affect on him by limiting his ability to start and maintain relationships. This will create that inner void we saw in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

Captain America

Work Life

What if Captain America had Social Anxiety? Well, lets just say, things wouldn’t be the same.

Standing up to your boss or any authoritative figure is never easy. But no one does it better than Steve Rogers. His work life is basically being a super hero working for Shield (and then working for no one after Shield went down).

In the first Captain America movie, Cap violated orders to stand down from any rescue attempt to save the captured American soldiers in Germany (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011).

In the second Captain America movie, he confronted Nick Fury, essentially calling him a liar, after learning of his “compartmentalized” agenda. He later then disagreed, told him he was wrong, and then turned around and walked away from him when Fury showed him the Heli-carriers for Project Insight (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014).

Then in Avengers Infinity War (2018), Cap told Secretary Ross that if he tries to stop him, he’ll fight him too. Basically telling the Secretary General to move out of his way or he’ll take him down.

The social confidence that Cap displays to consistently stand up to and against authority figures is impressive! That is not an easy thing to do.

Captain America’s work life is approximately 60% social. Social anxiety would affect his work life by 60% by inhibiting his ability to stand up to authority figures.

Social Life

Cap doesn’t have much of a social life. Yes, he celebrated the rescue of all those soldiers with his team at a bar in the first Captain America movie. He also celebrated again with the Avengers in Age of Ultron after retrieving Loki’s scepter. But aside from that, nothing really major…except for one thing: Agent Peggy Carter.

Steve Rogers had some hugely social moments with her in Captain America The First Avenger. There was flirting, kissing, strategizing, consoling, and there even was the pocket watch that had Peggy’s picture in it. He would carry that around everywhere, even as he was planning with his team on the battle field. He’d open it up in front of them, not caring who saw him or what they might say.

He visited her in Captain America The Winter Solder (2014) and then buried her in Captain America Civil War (2016). Then he finally went back in time and spent the rest of his days with her as we saw in Avengers End Game (2019). She was his driving force for so long. And he finally got to fill that social void when he returned to her in End Game.

Steve Rogers being pulled towards the woman for a kiss.
Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011

And just like Thor, Cap was also a magnet for women. We saw the office secretary in the first Captain America make a romantically blatant move towards him.

Peggy Carter was the first woman to greet Cap after he took the serum. His shirt was off and he looked ripped! She actually put her hand on his abdomen as he was recovering from the procedure. This is a sociable moment (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011).

We also saw Sharon Carter flirt and kiss Cap in Captain America Civil War. Even going as far as breaking orders and returning his shield from the US government (Captain America: Civil War, 2016).

Natasha Romanoff even got some romantic action from Cap, albeit, it was for a far different reason (see below) in Captain America The Winter Soldier (2014).

Lastly, it’s important to note that throughout Captain America: The Winter Solder (2014), Natasha Romanoff kept trying to find Steve Rogers a date. He wasn’t against the idea, as he was interested in that idea too. He even asked his (spy) neighbor Sharon out. Steve wants to connect with someone and fill the social void that we saw Thor experience in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

Captain America’s social life is approximately 75% social. Similar to Thor, the relationship built with Peggy is exactly the social void he needed to fill. If he developed social anxiety, it would affect his social life by 75% because he wouldn’t be able to fill that social void. He would stay unhappy, craving love and connection.

Black Widow

Work Life

Natasha Romanoff is really Agent Romanoff of Shield. She is a spy and is consistently undercover. Natasha is smart, witty, and sociable. She worked undercover in Stark Industries as a legal assistant, she extracted information from Loki using a high degree of social intelligence in the first Avengers movie, and went undercover as a board committee member while stopping Alexander Pierce in Captain America The Winter Soldier (2014). Agent Romanoff even cleverly kissed Captain America on an escalator inside a shopping mall to avoid being caught by Hydra. She needs social interactions to pull off her work as a Shield agent.

Black Widows work life is approximately 75% social. If she developed social anxiety, then 75% of her work would be affected by limiting her ability to extract information from people and socially blend in during missions. Her job as a Shield spy allows her to extract information from people, while blending in to their social environment.

Social Life

Black Widow does actually have a decent social life. She may not be the most outgoing and adventurous character, but she does dabble. Romanoff has a great relationship with Barton’s family, as we saw in Avengers Age of Ultron (2015). Barton’s kid refers to her as “Auntie Nat.” She has also pursued a relationship with Bruce Banner, while opening up about her past, again like we saw in Age of Ultron. She was not afraid to open up and even shed tears in Avengers End Game when her and Cap were talking about family, shortly before Ant Man showed up. And we learned that she has a family life with her sister, mom, and dad in the Black Widow movie (2021). Natasha Romanoff may be a super spy and assassin, but she does have some legitimate social aspects to her life.

Black Widows social life is approximately 60%. If she developed social anxiety, 60% of her social life would be affected by having weakened relationships with those around her. She is social in her private life, but still misses a connection (like with Bruce), which is why her rating isn’t higher than 60%.

Hawkeye

Work Life

Clint Barton is an assassin. Similar to Black Widow, except he uses a bow and arrow as opposed to guns. We haven’t seen Barton in action as a Shield agent much (non-avengers work). But from what we did see, he isn’t in very many social environments as a Shield agent. We saw him in the first Thor movie (2011), but he was alone in an elevated position readying his arrow to fly. We saw him again at the beginning of the 2012 Avengers movie when the tesseract was “misbehaving” and he was in an elevated position again watching like a hawk. So non-avenger work life does not really involve many social interactions.

But after what we have seen in the Disney+ show, Hawkeye (2021), we’ve learned that Barton can in fact be quite sociable on the job. He attended a fancy Christmas party with Kate Bishop while undercover and even did some acting in a New York City park to acquire the Ronin suit. He has shown that he has experience in undercover missions like that, and so we are left to believe he has similar work as Black Widow.

Hawkeye’s work life is approximately 50% social. If he developed social anxiety, 50% of his work life would be affected by inhibiting his ability to blend in during missions. Since we didn’t get to see as much about his work life as we did Black Widow, he work life social rating is lower than hers.

Social Life

However, Clint Barton has a family consisting of a wife and three kids. He plays ball with them and teaches them how to shoot an arrow. Barton takes them to Broadway shows, NYC restaurants, does Christmas activities with them, and is an overall good father. So from a non-work perspective, Hawkeye is legit sociable. The only thing that would count against him is the completely isolated location of his house. I still don’t know where it is, but it was setup that way by Nick Fury. Barton wants to stay off the books and he definitely did.

Hawkeye’s social life is approximately 75% social. If he developed social anxiety, 75% of his social life would be affected, not by weakened relationships with family. But rather anxiety at these very public places he takes them too (Broadway, restaurants, etc). He has shown that he is quite social in his private life, but because of the extreme isolated location of his house, his social rating is not higher than 75%.

Hulk

Work Life

As the big green giant, Hulk has actually developed into a personality. We saw this in Thor Ragnarok, where he developed a friendship with Valkyrie and Thor. He was actually pretty funny.

As Dr. Banner, Bruce has tried to keep to himself to avoid the risk of turning into Hulk. He made legitimate efforts to avoid being around anyone for quite some time. That is until Natasha Romanoff found him in India and recruited him in the first Avengers movie (The Avengers, 2012).

And then as we saw in Avengers End Game, Hulk and Banner combined to form one person, giving him the best of both worlds. He is strong, intelligent, and sociable (Avengers: End Game, 2019).

Hulk’s work life is approximately 50% social, depending on the time in which he is being rated and whether he is the combination of brains and brawns or just brains. Social anxiety would affect 50% of his work life.

Social Life

Natasha Romanoff is the only real reason why Hulk (Bruce Banner) has any significant social life. During the Avengers Tower party in Age of Ultron, he has a flirtatious interaction with Romanoff. Then again he has another one with her while at Barton’s home. Lastly, Romanoff and Banner finally kiss after Banner rescues her from Ultron. And lets not forget, Hulk actually gets a “lullaby” from Romanoff whenever the Avengers need him to calm down. So from a social standpoint, Natasha is the catalyst for his social life (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015).

Hulk’s social life is approximately 40% social. If he developed social anxiety, 50% of his social life would be affected by inhibiting his ability to appropriately interact with Natasha. If his story and Natasha’s story continued together, then his social rating would be much higher. But it essentially cut out after Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

Let me know if you agree with this list.

Three Social Anxiety Scenes in Black Panther

Social Anxiety is the true villain in the MCU, as we see in the super awesome Black Panther movie. Klaue is cool and Killmonger is even cooler. But Social Anxiety, that’s not cool.

It is one of the highest grossing super hero movies of all time, over $1.3B box office. In other words, Black Panther is a real money maker. And throw in the fact that the Black Panther character (Chadwick Boseman’s, T’Challa) played critical roles Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: EndGame, and this character just continues to climb up the ranks of popularity. Super awesome, really cool, and well deserving of its praise, Black Panther is on a whole different level of hero.

But does being a super cool, totally awesome super hero make you immune to social anxiety? Well, I guess it depends on your powers. But with Black Panther, yo this dude has some serious power. He’s got enhanced speed, strength, agility, and even healing. Social anxiety is a psychological issue (mental). Black Panther’s power is derived from a mystical, spiritual herb, so it’s possible that the healing includes psychological. We may never know.

But either way, lets look at three scene from the Black Panther movie (2018) which could trigger social anxiety in someone.

Before you continue, click here to learn a thing or two about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Unless of course you possess the power of the Black Panther, then you don’t really need to worry about it. 🙂

Three Social Anxiety Scenes in Black Panther

T’Challa at Korean Casino
Nakia speaking to woman outside casino
Okoye publicly challenges views of Killmonger

Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) at Korean casino and being social. This is a social anxiety trigger. — T’Challa who is Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman) in a popular Korean casino speaking with CIA Agent Everett Ross (played by Martin Freeman). Being in a social environment like this can cause anticipation (feeling nervous that you have to socialize) which will lead to Social Anxiety’s worst symptom, Red Face.
Black Panther, 2018

Movie: Black Panther (2018)

Scene: T’Challa conversing with agent Ross at popular Korean casino

Anxiety Provoking Event: Socializing in a popular casino while on a secret mission

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Just being in a populated social event, like a casino, nightclub, party, social gathering, etc. can lead to the nerve-racking feeling of anticipation (click here to see a detailed look at anticipation from Thor: Love and Thunder). It’s like feeling super nervous that someone will approach you and converse with you in front of other people. That super nervous feeling of anticipation can be so strong that you can start to blush and sweat without speaking a word.

Socializing at the casino

T’Challa’s mission is to capture one of the villains in the movie, Ulysses Klaue. It is a secret mission and he must maintain low profile while there. As if that isn’t anxiety-provoking enough, maintaining a strong social skillset to blend in is critical. That is where the biggest problem would be.

If T’Challa had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), it would be exhaustingly difficult for him to be in that populated casino and maintain strong social dialogue with people. Being there would easily cause the awful Red Face, which is like everyone’s pet peeve and worst nightmare. Bright red facial blushing, profuse sweating, trembling hands, pounding heart, plus other dreadful things.

Worst part is, Red Face does not always wait for you to socialize. Just the anticipation that you need to socialize can cause it. So whether T’Challa is socializing with CIA Agent Ross, a casino guest, a waiter, or no one at all, Red Face can still find him.

Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Okoye watch Nakia persuade Korean woman into allowing them to enter casino. This is social anxiety provoking and can cause Red Face. — Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong’o) convinces the Korean woman to allow her, T’Challa (the Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman) and Okoye (played by Danai Gurira) to enter the casino. While persuading, she is being observed and watched by both T’Challa and Okeye, which is a social anxiety trigger.
Black Panther, 2018

Movie: Black Panther (2018)

Scene: Nakia convincing the Korean woman to allow her into the Korean nightclub

Anxiety Provoking Event: Nakia is being watched and observed by T’Challa and Okoye as she is using social skills to persuade the woman, while speaking to her in Korean.

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): People with SAD do not like being watched and observed in a social setting or performance setting. There is already enough anxiety on them to begin with that the whole “being observed” thing makes them feel like they are being critiqued and scrutinized. They will feel like the people watching are gossiping to each other about them. The person being observed will convince themself that they are about to be confronted and scolded for a poor social performance. It is a messed up feeling.

Nakia’s social Skills

While speaking in Korean, Nakia needs to convince the woman to allow her, T’Challa (Black Panther), and Okoye into the casino. The woman is hesitant at first and requires some extra convincing. But Nakia is up to the challenge as he is able to overcome the woman’s rebuttal and eventually allow them to pass.

Nice work Nakia! Girl got skills, bro!

The scary part about this whole thing is that Nakia is being watched and observed by her friends T’Challa (who we later find out understands Korean too) and Okoye. If she wasn’t so comfortable with them and if she had SAD, Nakia would not have liked being watched. It would have actually ruined her social performance. She would have developed Red Face, sweating and blushing all over the place. The Korean woman would have suspected something was wrong and denied them entry. The whole plan could have been ruined if Nakia had Social Anxiety Disorder.

Okoye (played by Danai Gurira) speaks up against authority figure, which is a social anxiety trigger. Black Panther, 2018. — Okoye (played by Danai Gurira) speaks up against Killmonger’s views during Killmonger’s first administration meeting with Wakanda’s leaders. This is a huge social anxiety trigger.
Black Panther, 2018

Movie: Black Panther (2018)

Scene: Okoye challenging the views of the new king, Killmonger

Anxiety Provoking Event: Publicly speaking and challenging an authority figure in front of everyone

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Authority figures can be intimidating for anyone. They can be annoying as hell to deal with, especially if you disagree with them. But for people with SAD, authority figures (even the nice ones) are always seen as scary. People with Social Anxiety Disorder will not challenge authority figures very much. Too much anxiety. Especially in front of other people.

Okoye Challenges Killmonger.

Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) holds meeting with Wakanda’s leaders. During this meeting, Okoye speaks against his views of arming and fighting the world, which is a social anxiety trigger.
Black Panther, 2018

First let me say that Michael B Jordan’s character, Erik Killmonger, is bad-ass bro. He is one of the best villains in the MCU (next to Thanos). His tenacity, rage, and determination set him apart from everyone else. It’s also why he is an intimidating authority figure as the king of Wakanda.

Okoye challenges Killmonger’s views when she tells him that Wakanda survives by fighting only when necessary. She stands up for her culture and country, while so many other country leaders are looking on. We all know Okoye is one of the MCUs best fighters, but dam, this woman is brave standing up to Killmonger.

The problem here of course is that people with Social Anxiety Disorder would be way too uncomfortable speaking up against authority, especially in front of so many other leaders. It’s like when your stubborn d-bag boss holds a meeting in the conference room and tells everyone that they need to stay late. Uh-uh! You can’t tolerate that, but you don’t want to challenge him. You know it will put a spotlight on you and you’ll start to blush and sweat (Red Face). That is the ultimate sign of weakness and everyone there will call you out on it, especially the awful boss.

Okoye has shown that she definitely does not have Social Anxiety Disorder and backs down from no one.

Three Social Anxiety Moments from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Ever think that a hulk could get Social Anxiety? What about She-Hulk. Yep, it’s true. Even a Hulk/She Hulk can fall to social anxiety

Ever think that a hulk could get Social Anxiety? What about She-Hulk. Yep, it’s true. Even a Hulk or She-Hulk can fall to social anxiety

She’s intelligent, she’s charming, and she is 7 feet tall with impenetrable green skin and the strength of the actual Hulk. Jen Walters is She Hulk. And she is the best dam attorney in California.

It takes a lot to balance out life of a busy attorney and super hero. For Jen, she went through what all hero’s go through: the struggle to find oneself.

I know – it’s kinda cliché, ain’t it? All hero’s go through the same thing and it can be a bit tedious after a while. But it is absolutely necessary to understand the character, and there is no better way to understand than seeing their struggles early on in their hero-hood.

Well you can watch She – Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney +. But for now, check out the three social anxiety scenes from Jen Walters below. Before you do, make sure you know a thing or two about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). It’ll make more sense before you continue.

Hulk Smash!

She-Hulk also Smash!

She-Hulk Social Anxiety Moment 1

She Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) closing argument, which can lead to social anxiety. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Episode 1) — Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany is about to stand up and give her closing argument inside a court room filled with people.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Episode 1)

Show: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Episode 1 – A Normal Amount of Rage

Scene: Jen Walters is giving her closing argument in court

Anxiety Provoking Event: Standing and speaking in a court room while everyone’s eyes (and ears) are on Jen.

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): People who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder typically develop major anxiety symptoms when walking into a room filled with seated people. All eyes are on you as the only person standing. It’s the same concept for Jen standing in a room filled with seated people while trying to convince a jury of her case.

Trial Lawyer equals social strength

Jennifer Walters, aka She Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany is giving her closing argument at the end of Episode 1. Being observed by so many people inside courtroom is a social anxiety trigger.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Episode 1)

Yes it’s true. Being a trial lawyer is a big no-no for someone who suffers from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Standing and speaking in front of a person of authority (like a judge) and a group of people who’ll decide the fate of your case is not easy for anyone. But SAD sufferers have it worse since anxiety symptoms would take control. I’m not just talking increased heart rate, but more about the awful Red Face of SAD.

For Jen Walters (aka She-Hulk), this is part of her normal job, which she clearly does well. But if she had SAD, She-Hulk would develop really bad social anxiety symptoms just from doing a simple closing argument. It would lead to bright red facial blushing, profuse sweating, and stiffened/rigid body posture. People would stare and make comments, which would only make the SAD symptoms worse. Jen would blush brighter and sweat even more.

She-Hulk Social Anxiety Moment 2

She-Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany, makes a dating profile. Her profile includes a photo of herself uploaded to the dating app. Social apps, like dating apps, can typically be triggers for people with Social Anxiety Disorder. This is especially true if a photo of yourself is uploaded to the app.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Episode 4)

Show: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Episode 4 – Is This Not Real Magic?

Scene: Jen Walters makes a dating profile.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Putting a photo of herself in a dating app.

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): People who suffer from SAD would have a problem posting their photo online, particularly social sites, like dating apps. Making a LinkedIn profil with your photo is a struggle in of itself, so a dating app would be that much worse. It leaves the door open for judgement by other people, especially people who know you (like work colleagues). That’s not to say that SAD people wouldn’t ever put their photo on a dating app, but they would be really reserved about doing that.

Dating Apps make life easy

Jen Walters, aka She-Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany has made a dating profile and included pictures of herself. This is a social anxiety triggers as thoughts about what others are thinking of you, your profile, your photo, and overall actions to make a profile go through the mind.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Episode 4)

Look, I get it. Jen wants to find someone, settle down, and build a long term relationship. She made that very clear throughout the course of the She-Hulk series (maybe a little too clear). So, living in the 21st century, Jen did exactly what so many other people in the world do. She went online, signed up with a dating app, posted her photo, and started dating.

But what if She-Hulk had some major social anxiety issues. After all, she is a big, green hulk. That kind of attention drawn to her everywhere she goes can be annoying to deal with. If she had social anxiety disorder, Jen would not have made the decision so easily to sign up with a dating app and post her photo. There are too many people out there who would judge her, which leads to even more anxiety.

And not to mention… what if people she knew found out? Like people from her job, family, or friends? What would they think of her? What would they say about her?

These are the questions that would go through Jens mind. Again, she could still decide to post her photo on a dating app, but their would have been a lot of back & forth debate in her mind about it.

She-Hulk Social Anxiety Moment 3

She Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) can get social anxiety while on stage giving speech to audience. — She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) standing front and center stage, standing out like a sore thumb, while giving a speech in front of a live audience. Her speech is different and sentimental from the previous speakers, which makes her stand out even more. This can lead to major social anxiety while on the stage.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Episode 8)

Show: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Episode 8 – Ribbit and Rip it

Scene: She-Hulk gives wins award for Female Lawyer of the Year and gives her speech on stage.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Standing as the largest, most dominating figure in the center of the stage, surrounded by all the other winners. Then giving a response that is completely different than previous responses and does not answer the question being asked. She-Hulk gives a sentimental response speech about thanking her parents when all others respond to the question about “what it’s like to be a female lawyer.”

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): SAD people already have a brain chemistry that causes physical symptoms, like Red Face, muscle stiffness, trembling hands, etc. So what happens when you bring emotional reactions into the mix? Things in the brain chemistry get more complicated, which increases risk of developing symptoms. As a result, in the public eye, people with SAD don’t want to elicit emotional reactions, especially on an already nervous stage.

Winning an award is always a good thing, right?

It’s super awesome to win an award. All your hard work is being recognized and there is a huge sense of accomplishment. And in Jens case, it’s an award for Female Lawyer of the Year. Which is a big deal. It’s not just a participation trophy, like rec-league soccer (still proud of myself for that btw).

The problem for Jen if she were to have SAD is not that she would be on stage talking. No, that is more performance anxiety than social anxiety. The real problem is her comparison to all the other women on that stage as she stands in the middle. That makes for easy target and easy judgement against her by other people watching. This can cause huge social anxiety as her mind would be racing about what people are thinking and what they will say about her.

The other real problem is how she started her speech (she didn’t finish because she got cut off by intelligencia). After the first two lawyers gave a short, empowering response to the question being asked, She-Hulk decided to give a sentimental response. In other words, her speech stands out from the crowd, which opens up the door for more scrutiny and judgement against her. Not to mention, her response elicits emotion as she thanked her parents. Emotional brain chemistry adds chaos to the already chaotic brain chemistry of social anxiety symptoms. It just makes it worse.

Three Social Anxiety Scenes from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Three serious Social Anxiety moments which would make even the steadiest Rock tremble. See which scenes from different Dwayne Johnson movies can cause Red Face on even the most confident man in Hollywood.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with Social Anxiety?! I don’t buy it.

Lets be real about something here: The Rock is the most electrifying man in all of entertainment. He is as cool as the other side of the pillow and has been a global phenomenon for over the past decade. It seems like he is in celebrity all the time, and even recently, has made mainstream political news with rumors of a presidential run. The guy is a straight up machine and is at the top of his game.

Being in the spotlight as long as he has, it’d be hard to imagine that Dwayne Johnson has Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Talk shows, Instagram videos, WWE appearances, and the countless number of movies he makes would have been too difficult to continue if he really had SAD. I’m sure we would have noticed some signs of SAD throughout the years. Since we haven’t, it seems obvious enough that The Rock doesn’t have SAD or even a degree of social anxiety.

I know what you’re thinking:

“Dude, his name is The Rock! How can someone named The Rock have social anxiety?”

I actually agree with that. No one named The Rock can have any kind of anxiety, let alone social anxiety.

But the characters he plays on the silver screen are another story. Especially if they are put into a social situation which can elicit the social anxiety.

Lets look at three scenes from three different movies in which Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could have developed social anxiety. But before we do, make sure you check out what social anxiety disorder is by clicking here.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Social Anxiety Scene 1

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a social anxiety scene from The Rundown. All eyes are on him as he confronts his target. — Beck (played by Dwayne Johnson) confronting a client (professional athlete) of his employer at a popular night club in front all his guests and party-goers.
The Rundown, 2003

Movie: The Rundown (2003)

Scene: Collecting collateral from client at a popular nightclub

Anxiety Provoking Event: Interrupting/disturbing a famous athlete in front of all his guests while everyone is watching on. The athlete insults and mocks The Rock making everyone laugh at him. This leads to a fight in front of everyone there.

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Being in front of a bunch of people who are looking and laughing at you will trigger social anxiety for anyone. But Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) sufferer’s have it so much worse. In fact, just being inside a night club with so many people there is a huge SAD trigger alone. Even if no one is talking to you, the anticipation of social interactions can trigger the dreaded Red Face.

Nightclub Scene Breakdown

In this night club scene from The Rundown, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson confronts an arrogant professional athlete to collect collateral from him until he pays off his $50G debt. The athlete is dismissive and insulting, mocking The Rock by giving him an autograph and then throwing alcohol in his face. People watched and laughed as the Johnson was publicly humiliated. The Rock then goes the bathroom, cleans himself off, and then returns to put boots to asses. It was awesome!

But if The Rock had Social Anxiety Disorder, he would have undoubtedly developed SAD symptoms even before confronting the d-bag athlete. Just going inside a highly social environment, like a night club, builds up anticipation in the mind of an SAD sufferer. That anticipation is so strong, that it leads to social anxiety symptoms, including heavy sweating and blushing (Red Face). Then obviously, being publicly insulted in front of everyone is anxiety provoking for anyone and would just amplify Red Face even more.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Social Anxiety Scene 2

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ins a social anxiety scene dancing with Gal Gadot in Red Notice. All eyes are on them while people observe them at the party. — *John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) dancing with “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot) at Sotto Voce’s masquerade party. All eyes are on The Rock.*
*Red Notice, 2021*

Movie: Red Notice (2021)

Scene: The dance at the masquerade party between Dwayne Johnson’s, John Hartley and Gal Gadot’s, “The Bishop.”

Anxiety Provoking Event: All eyes are on him and his dance partner, the highly attractive Gal Gadot.

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder: All eyes being on an SAD sufferer causes a whole lot of anxiety. And when publicly dancing with someone who radiates beauty, like Gal Gadot, social anxiety goes from bad to worse. Red Face is inevitable.

*Click here to read the full post originally written about this scene.

Dance Scene Breakdown

John Hartley (The Rock) and “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot) dancing closely at the masquerade party of known criminal Sotto Voce. Red Notice, 2021.

Although The Rock is known for laying the smackdown all over town, he is also quite the ballroom dancer as we saw in Netflix’s 2021 film, Red Notice. While attending a major criminal’s masquerade party, Johnson ends up dancing with the stunning Gal Gadot. She commands attention as she flashes a bright red dress and jewelry on the dance floor. So, by extension, since Johnson was dancing with her, eyes would be all over him too.

A beautiful woman can make any man nervous. But a man who has Social Anxiety Disorder will actually manifest visibly physical symptoms with a woman like Gal Gadot’s Bishop from Red Notice. What symptoms am I talking about? Red Face of course. Bright red facial blushing, profuse sweating, pounding heart, trembling hands, and rigid body posture. So although sharing the dance floor with Gadot is a dream come true for The Rock, the effects of Red Face would be too humiliating.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Social Anxiety Scene 3

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson speaking with Ludacris shortly before encountering social anxiety moment in Fast and Furious 6. — Hobbs (left; played by Dwayne Johnson) chatting it up with Tej Parker (right; played by Ludacris) at a super car auction in London. It is during this conversation that a snobby, uppity salesman approaches the two and insults them for appearing broke.
Fast and Furious 6, 2013.

Movie: Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

Scene: The Rock and Ludacris are at a car auction in London. A snobby, uppity salesman approaches the two and makes fun of them for not being able to afford any of the cars.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Being made fun of by someone for how you look, and worse, not having enough money.

Something to know about Social Anxiety Disorder: Being insulted is always difficult for anyone, especially SAD sufferers as they are more sensitive to insults. But when someone insults your physical appearance, it puts more attention and more eyes on you. Physical appearance insults are always the worst type of insults.

Look, anyone would get social anxiety if someone makes fun of you. That is just normal, mental behavior. But there are varying degrees of social anxiety, with the worst kinds being that which leads to Red Face. This would only come from Social Anxiety Disorder.

Scene Breakdwown

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson being publicly insulted causing social anxiety in Fast and Furious 6. — The snobby, uppity salesman insulting The Rock and Ludacris at the super car auction in London. Fast and Furious 6, 2013

In this Fast and Furious 6 scene, The Rock and Luda are talked down to and made fun of by a rich, upperclass salesman. He mocks Johnson by telling him that his shoes, shirt, and trousers are “functional”, implying that he has no style or class. Then he continues by saying that his posture is “too rigid” with “no swagger.” Finally, this snobby eff’in guy attacks Rock’s finances by saying that he takes home only $50,000.

So if DJ had SAD and this snobby salesman attacked his physical appearance, this would lead to some serious Red Face. Insulting someone’s appearance leads to more people noticing and auditing your look. SAD sufferer’s cannot tolerate being observed for every detail. It creates severe social anxiety.

Then by attacking Rock’s salary, it would make him feel inferior and unworthy. People with SAD are already sensitive to insults, so when you make them feel unworthy, it becomes not just embarrassing, but humiliating.

Lets just say that it’s a good thing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does not have Social Anxiety! It would be smackdown on his confidence.

Be Thanos and Conquer Social Anxiety Disorder

The strength of Thanos’ mind is the perfect weapon in resolving Social Anxiety Disorder. The path to getting it that strong goes through CBT.

Imagine Thanos had Social Anxiety Disorder. Can’t see it, huh? Neither could we. His mind is way to strong for such (not so) miniscule things.

One of the most compelling characters in motion picture history, Thanos has left his mark on people across the world (it’s more like the universe actually). This guy is the most determined man that has ever existed. No joke! He does what needs to be done in order to accomplish goals. No matter how absurd that goal is.

“With all six stones I could simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist. I call that, mercy”
Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Bro, this guy wiped out half the universe. Why the eff would anyone want to be Thanos!?”

Completely agree you with you on that. Thanos did remove half of all life from existence. He is the ultimate villain! But what I’m suggesting is not to follow in his footsteps, collect the infinity stones, and snap away all those lives. Rather what I’m suggesting is to develop the strength of mind that Thanos has.

“The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”
Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Thanos’ Mind

Think about it. How many times have we seen people in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) try to stop Thanos from carrying out his plan to wipe away trillions of lives? We saw Argardians try to stop him when he boarded their ship. We saw the Guardians of the Galaxy try to stop him on Knowhere and again on Titan. Ironman, Spiderman, and Dr. Strange travelled to Titan and failed. Then we saw the war breakout in Wakanda. Not to mention all the other wars we didn’t see like when he destroyed Xandar for the power stone, destroyed Gamora’s planet before he took her, and destroyed countless other planets while searching for the stones in years prior.

Yo even his own people on Titan tried, (and actually succeeded), in stopping him before their planet became extinct from the consequences of overpopulation. They exiled him out into outer space only for him to return later on after they were all destroyed. This was his turning point. He saw what happened to his home world, developed his mind & body into a brilliant weapon, took control of an army, and became The Mad Titan. This is when he started his search for the Infinity Stones.

Gamora (Thanos’ adopted daughter) on planet Vormir with Thanos, shortly before he sacrifices her to collect the soul stone.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The point is that after he set his goals on “saving” other worlds across the universe from the same fate as Titan, his mind was stronger than ever. No one could convince him that what he was doing was wrong. Not the Avengers, not the Guardians of the Galaxy, not even his own adopted daughters Gamora and Nebula. In fact, he sacrificed his favorite daughter Gamora to acquire one of the stones. He was invincibly convinced because his mind was warped into this belief. No matter what anyone said or did, they were wrong and Thanos was right. He would keep going and nothing could stop him.

That is how you can solve so many of your problems, including the dreaded Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD); the cause of Red Face.

CBT – the Thanos Mind Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

So how can such a strong, warped mind manage SAD. Well, in reality, developing an inconceivably stubborn mind like Thanos may not be realistic. For him, it had to do with his upbringing on Titan which contributed to his mental strength. But for the rest of us, the best way to develop that “Thanos mind” is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is like the gold standard for treating Social Anxiety Disorder. We just need to be strong enough to start it, and even stronger, to stick with it.

So your next question should be, what in the name of blue cheese is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

Thanos talking to Dr. Strange on Titan, shortly before stating “the hardest choices require the strongest wills.”
Avengers: Infinity War (2018

CBT is a a type of therapy which helps you recognize faulty thinking and helps you better understand where the problems are coming from in your mind. There are volumes of evidence showing that CBT is effective in resolving and preventing relapses of mental/behavioral health disorders, like SAD.

Check this out: the American Psychological Association (APA) describes one of the strategies of CBT as “Facing one’s fears instead of avoiding them.” That is significant for SAD sufferers because in order to conquer your fears, such as being in a social situation, your mind has to be strong. Really strong! Like Thanos strong!

In other words, someone with SAD would have to face their fears in a social setting, knowing that they are going to develop the humiliating and embarrassing Red Face. If you know what I’m talking about, then you’ll know how extraordinarily difficult it is to go through this. It is a type of trauma for someone with SAD to experience and your mind will need to be strong enough to endure.

Although this could be difficult, a CBT therapist would work with you to make sure that you are ready before entering into the triggering social situation. But when the time comes, be aware that it will be difficult. That is why you need a Thanos mind.

The good news is that once you start throwing yourself into those scary social situations, eventually you will develop a sense of immunity and desensitization. Things will get easier. You won’t develop Red Face so easily anymore and you’ll feel more comfortable. At that point, you’ll be so happy that you did it. It will be worth it.

If you have Social Anxiety Disorder, than all you need to do now is make the decision to start CBT.

“The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”
Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Two Major Social Anxiety Scenes in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Getting “sucked into a video game” has never been a literal expression. It has always been more metaphorical than anything. But now, after 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, being sucked into a video game has become a thing. In fact, it’s such a thing that they made a sequel which was released 2 years later (Jumanji: The Next Level). Look, I’ve never been a huge gamer or anything, but after watching The Rock, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black handle their business, I’ve become more interested. The adventures, the action, and the storyline, all kind of drew me in to their illustrious world of jungles and jewels. Not to mention, the combination of all four of those characters is funny as the name “jumanji.”

Although I’m a fan of the 4 main stars of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, this article is more focused on the their teenage counterparts, who are their real characters in the movie. In other words, the teenagers got sucked into the video game to become the 4 stars of the movie (DJ, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black). Specifically, there are two scenes in the movie which focus on these teens and potential social anxiety moments. Click here to check out just what the hell Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) what why sufferers dread Red Face.

Social Anxiety Scene 1: The Principals Office

Alex Wolff (Spencer, left) and Ser’Darius Blain (Fridge, right) sitting in the principals office while their teacher and principal read the evidence of them cheating. They were caught.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

Movie: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

Social Anxiety Scene: While in the principals office, Spencer is informed that he has been caught helping Fridge cheat on his essay by the teacher

Anxiety provoking event:

While sitting in front of principal and teacher, and sitting next to a popular dude that he wants to be friends with, the teacher is reading the last paragraph of Fridge’s essay while comparing it to Spencer’s paper. The duration of time during which she is reading and comparing leads to anticipation that Spencer is about to be in trouble.
Direct accusation for doing something wrong by authority figures is a huge trigger.
Spencer defends himself against thee allegations while Fridge is looking on. His defenses are weak and just plain ridiculous.

Anticipation

As he is listening to his teacher speak about the evidence against him, Spencer (Alex Wolff) looks worried as he anticipates forthcoming accusation and punishment.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

When someone with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) knows that he/she is about to get in trouble, the build-up of fear of judgement intensifies. The anticipation of trouble and scolding by authority figures, especially in front of others, becomes too strong. Anticipating getting into trouble is a huge trigger and will actually lead to Red Face. In other words, just the thoughts of what is about to happen will lead to intense sweating and blushing. This is an SAD persons worst moment. It is awful.

Direct Accusation

Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain, left) and Spencer (Alex Wolff, right) sit in the principals office in front of the principal and teacher. Spencer is accused of writing Fridge’s essay and Fridge is accused of cheating.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

Authority figures can be scary enough to some people. But they are even more frightening when they point their fingers at you in accusation. Both the teacher and the principal showed Spencer and Fridge their similar essays and then suggested that Spencer is involved in helping Fridge cheat. When an SAD sufferer knows that they did something wrong and are being scolded about it by authority figures, it can immediately lead to Red Face. Then everyone in the room will e starring, likely even commenting, about your hot sauce red, moist face. Again, it is just awful.

Being Called On To speak

No one likes being called on in class to speak. But people will like it even less when they are in trouble and both the teacher and principal are there calling on you. That is what happened to Spencer as he was sitting with Fridge in the principals office. The teacher finished reading the last paragraph of his paper, showing him the stark similarities to Fridge’s paper. She asked him to justify these similarities between the two papers. He tries to defend himself by saying things like, “that’s interesting. What are the odds of that?” Then like 15 seconds later, in an effort to defend Fridge, Spencer raises his hand and states, “it was my fault. I made him do it.” A ridiculous defense in which the principal calls him out on.

Spencer (Alex Wolff) raises his hand in defense of Fridge and confesses that he (Spencer) made Fridge cheat by voluntarily writing Fridge’s essay. This is a ridiculous defense which led to both of them getting detention.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

Someone suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder would be just as nervous, but in an effort to keep eyes from being on them, they wouldn’t voluntarily talk. If Spencer had SAD, he would keep his answers very short, apologize, and not raise his hand in volunteer of taking the blame. He would want the whole thing to end asap. Why? Because he would have Red Face by then and doesn’t want anyone to make it 100x worse by commenting on it.

Somewhere in the middle of his messy argument, Spencer complains that it is really hot in the room. This is important because people with SAD would be feeling that same exact feeling of heat. I’m not saying Spencer has SAD, but the feeling of being under public pressure in front of authority would make anyone nervous. But with SAD sufferer’s, it’s so much more intense. People with Social Anxiety Disorder will get a rush of heat sensation straight to their face, followed by the body’s cooling mechanism, sweat. All while being called on to speak, or during anticipation, or while being accused of doing something bad. That hot, sweaty, red feeling in front of other people is a traumatizing to SAD sufferers.

Social Anxiety Scene 2: Sitting next to Martha

Left to right: Ser’Darius Blain (Fridge), Alex Wolff (Spencer), Morgan Turner (Martha), and Madison Iseman (Bethany) sitting outside the principals office waiting for their detention to begin. Jumanji:
Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

Movie: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, 2017

Social Anxiety Scene: The four, soon to be video game adventurers, are sitting outside of the principals office waiting for their detention to begin.

Anxiety Provoking Event: Spencer is sitting directly next to the girl he secretly likes and gets nervous around, Martha.

he likes her

Highschool crushes are great, aren’t they? You like someone, you’re too nervous to tell them so you just deny it, and it turns out they never liked you anyway. Ugh! Romance in highschool can be tough, and Spencer’s crush on Martha is a perfect example. But if he had Social Anxiety Disorder, it’d be even worse for him.

While they were all sitting outside the principals office, Spencer ended up sitting right to Martha. He secretly has a crush on her, but the highschool rule book says that you can never tell her that. So he keeps it himself and lives with the nervousness around her.

Just like we saw when he was being punished for cheating, anticipation can play a significant role in triggering SAD. While sitting next to Martha, thoughts of “don’t make her like you less” will pop into Spencers mind. Yes, he will already assume that she doesn’t like him. SAD sufferers project negative thoughts from other people about themselves in social situations very often. It’s actually a big focal point that therapists work on when helping SAD sufferers.

red face

So Spencer will develop a strategy in mind. He will try his best not to move so much, he will not say anything to her, and he will hope to God that she doesn’t say anything to him. Why? Because if she does spark a conversation with him, he will get a humiliating case of Red Face and there is nothing he can do to hide it. She will undoubtedly notice the bright red blushing and profuse sweating. And since he is sitting so close to her, he will radiate an overwhelming amount of body heat towards her. Again, she will notice that too.

The absolute worse case scenario if he developed Red Face in front of her is that she will notice his ripe tomato sweating face, make a disgusted look, and then comment on it in front of him. The red will shine redder and the sweat will be wetter. And just as bad is if one of the other two students notice and point it out publicly. Spencer would get hotter, redder, and wetter real fast. He would be completely humiliated. As always, this would just be awful!

Major Social Anxiety Scene in Oceans Eleven

Social Anxiety Disorder can hit anyone, but it’ll hit especially hard when facing the ruthless casino owner who you just robbed. Oceans Eleven can definitely show some serious Social Anxiety.

Terry Benedict: “Did you have a hand in this?”

George Clooney: “Did I have my hand in what?”

Thieves and liars should never be considered the “good guys” in a story. But George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and the rest of their team charismatically took their roles of thieving to levels reserved for hero’s and patriots. George Clooney, who plays Danny Ocean, who was just released from prison, led his team to successfully pull off a master heist. In fact, they stole a ton of money from a man who seems like a real d-bag, but isn’t a criminal. Terry Benedict, played by Andy Garcia, is insensitive, dispassionate, and sees money as the only measure of value in life. But he is not a thief, liar, or manipulator. Terry Benedict may be mean, but he is a law-abiding citizen.

So what happens when this mean, unsympathetic millionaire/billionaire comes face to face with the man who stole $160 million dollars from him? The interaction is quite interesting and social anxiety provoking. George Clooney plays it off like he was uninvolved, while Andy Garcia is honest and direct in his line of questioning. Not only can an interaction like this cause anxiety in the liar (George Clooney), but it can cause major social anxiety. Let’s check it out!

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Red Face. Your face turns bright red like tomato being picked from a farm during peak season. Sweat profusely drips from the head, trickling down to the face. In addition to Red Face, there is loud thumping sound coming out of your chest as you realize your heart is trying to beat itself free. Fingers begin to tremble causing you to stick your hands in your pocket. Muscles all over the body stiffen and you don’t feel like moving, even though you’ll do anything to get out of there. This description describes just a few of things that would happen to someone with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Click here to learn more.

Social Anxiety scene in Oceans Eleven

Danny Ocean (George Clooney) facing questioning from Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) regarding whether he stole Terry’s money from the vault or not.
Oceans Eleven, 2001

Movie: Oceans Eleven (2001)

Scene: Terry Benedict questions Danny Ocean after he finds out that his money was stolen from the vault

Anxiety provoking event: Questioned by an authority figure in front of others, while maintaining a lie

Picture this: the owner of the casino (Terry Benedict) has just found out that he lost all the money in his vault. A total of $160 million has been stolen. Irate, furious, and enraged, Benedict is determined to get answers. Luckily for him, he had his boys (security thugs) detain George Clooney’s Danny Ocean in one of their private rooms in the casino building earlier in the day. Now it becomes a simple line of questioning that a ruthless, vengeful, and analytical Benedict will ask Ocean. And all the while, Ocean needs to lie to Benedict as part of his master plan.

Terry Benedict: “Did you have a hand in this?“

Danny Ocean: “Did I have my hand in what?“

Terry Benedict: “I’m going to ask you one more time. Did you have a hand in this?“

Danny Ocean: “Benedict, I have no idea what you’re talking about.“

Benedict pauses as he stares at Ocean before telling him he is free to go.

This is a major social anxiety scene for four reasons:

Terry Benedict is an authority figure who is also seeking blood against the people who stole from him. He is not making direct accusations, but his stern intent of questioning and body language makes him a more intimidating figure
Benedict is analyzing every move Ocean is making. Starring intently at his eyes, facial reactions, hand movements, everything
There are others in the room observing Benedict and Ocean who are also likely to be starring intently at Ocean
Danny Ocean maintains a lie

SAD scene breakdown

Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) starring intently at Danny Ocean (George Clooney) as he responds. Benedict is questioning Ocean about whether he stole his money or not.
Oceans Eleven, 2001

Authority Figures not a good thing

People who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) find themselves uncomfortable when speaking to authority figures. Looming questions about whether they are saying or doing the right things in front of authority figures always come to mind. Thoughts about pleasing them, not frustrating them, and most of all, not getting in trouble by them are all frequent. These may be normal thoughts for any non-SAD sufferers, but SAD sufferers experience it on a much more amplified level.

Dealing with an authority figure is bad enough, but add to it the fact that Benedict is angry and suspecting of you, then the SAD becomes much worse. People with SAD can easily develop Red Face symptoms simply from feeling like an authority figure suspects something bad of them.

The other things that are not a good thing

As Benedict is questioning Ocean, he is visibly studying every one of Ocean’s moves. This deep observation creates the feeling of being watched, which is a big no-no for someone with SAD. That feeling can be a serious trigger for developing Red Face and other SAD symptoms.

And add to the fact that there are other people in the room, and the SAD gets so much worse. When people are watching you, analyzing your every move, trying to catch you in a lie, this social situation becomes too much for SAD people. All those eyes watching you feels like a spotlight, which can increase SAD symptoms, like Red Face.

Lying is the last piece of this SAD train wreck. No one should ever lie, but if a lie is needed, make sure someone with SAD isn’t the one doing it. People with SAD have a hard time lying, especially in front of authority figures. Its the fear that the authority figure suspects you of doing something wrong that really makes it difficult. Or even the fear of being publicly scolded if ever caught in a lie that is just awful for SAD sufferers. So bottom line… don’t lie. If you need to lie, make sure you don’t have Social Anxiety Disorder. You won’t be able to pull it off if you do.

What would happen if George Clooney had Social Anxiety Disorder

With the stern eyes of an angry, suspecting Terry Benedict and his thugs starring and analyzing Danny Ocean (George Clooney), what would happen if he had SAD? A lot would happen! His brain chemistry would go nuts as he tries to focus on Benedict, while thinking about maintaining a neutral body/facial expressions, and while maintaining his lie. This overactive brain chemistry would go into overdrive and cause physical symptoms. It will start with a rush of heat and blood to the face, causing facial blushing. This will be shortly followed by profuse, heavy-duty sweating. Hands and body will also start to sweat as his fingers and hands tremble and his muscle stiffen, while heart beats out of chest.

Then when someone notices (and someone always notices), be prepared to blush brighter red and sweat heavier drops. This is because when people notice, they always call attention to Red Face symptoms. It’s the most awful thing ever!

Bottom Line

So although this was a short lived scene in Oceans Eleven, there are four big SAD triggers there which could be disastrous for Danny Ocean.

Bullet Train Social Anxiety Scene

Bullet Trains may be found mainly in Japan, but Social Anxiety does not discriminate. Traveling at the speed of a bullet, does not protect from developing Red Face.

Absolutely nothing would change in this Social Anxiety scene from Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train (2022); Ladybug and Lemon did it right.

Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt as Ladybug, is a hilarious action film taking place on a train traveling though Japan. There are a few different characters on that train that are completely unlinked to begin the movie, but we then learn they are all connected somehow. Director David Leitch really put the puzzles pieces together throughout the film as the audience learns why (and how) each person is on that train. Throw in some comedy and fighting scenes and this movie’s train races towards success.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a huge train in the a**. Someone suffering from SAD will always be worried about being embarrassed or humiliated, which then alters their behavior. The fear of being embarrassed, or even worse, showing that embarrassment to others, is terrifying to an SAD sufferer. And unfortunately, when someone with Social Anxiety Disorder is embarrassed, it always automatically shows on their face and body. This would be the case with Brad Pitt’s character Ladybug as he fights Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) on the train. Let’s explore that scene below and see why it’s a Social Anxiety scene.

Social Anxiety is worse than a Slow Bullet Train

Imagine one morning you were rushing to work and were on your last strike for being late. You decide to take a bullet train because that would be quickest. You are completely reliant on that train to get you to your job on time. “A bullet train moves at like 250mph” you tell yourself. “No way I’ll be late now.” You board the train and it starts moving. You realize that it is not going very fast, but rather matches the speed of a car on a highway. As a result, you show up to work late and get in serious trouble by your boss.

As bad as it is to get in trouble with your boss, it’s even worse to have a social anxiety moment in front of him/her. What is a social anxiety moment? Well, in case you spent your life on a bullet train and truly don’t know, click here to check it out. Social Anxiety Disorder causes social anxiety moments/attacks and is the cause of the feared Red Face. So now, assuming you know a thing or two about SAD, let’s get on with the Social Anxiety scene in Bullet Train.

Social Anxiety scene in Bullet Train

Left to right: Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) speaking to Ladybug (Brad Pitt) shortly before a fight breaks out between the two of them in the “Quiet Car” section of the train.
Bullet Train, 2022

Movie: Bullet Train (2022)

Scene: Fight between Ladybug (Brad Pitt) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) in the “quiet” section of the train.

Social Anxiety Trigger: Being publicly called out on doing something wrong, like making noise and then being shushed multiple times by a passenger.

While trying to avoid Lemon’s partner, Tangerine, Ladybug (Brad Pitt) finds himself sitting across from Lemon ready to make a deal with him. He was willing to offer Lemon the briefcase in exchange for his exoneration and freedom to leave the train. Lemon refused the offer because he needed someone to blame for The Son’s death (he realized afterwards that Ladybug wasn’t the killer). So this refusal led to a pretty funny fight scene in the quiet cabin of the train.

Passenger in the “Quiet Car” section of the train hears Ladybug and Lemon fighting behind her. She turns her head to shush them.
Bullet Train, 2022

As Ladybug and Lemon were throwing hands and tumbling, they started to make quite a bit of noise. A passenger sitting a few rows up turned her head towards them and vigorously barked, “shhhhhhhh!” Both Ladybug and Lemon stopped fighting, looked at the woman, and smiled. They did not want to draw attention to themselves. As they continued to fight and make noise, they were shushed again by the woman a couple more times. Each time, Ladybug and Lemon abruptly stopped fighting and “played off” their fight to decrease the attention on them. They gave the impression that they were just horsing around.

Social Anxiety and Attention on the Bullet Train

Both Ladybug and Lemon needed to minimize the noise and attention so they wouldn’t get kicked off the train. Lemon needed to make it to Kyoto station (few stops down) while Brad Pitt wanted to hand him the briefcase, avoid the conductor, and hop off at the next stop. The conductor wanted Pitt off the train because he didn’t have a ticket. But what if Brad Pitt’s Ladybug had Social Anxiety Disorder? Or what if Brian Tyree Henry’s Lemon had SAD? What if they weren’t afraid of being kicked off the train, but rather were afraid of humiliation?

Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) smiling and waiving at the female passenger who just shushed him and Ladybug (Brad Pitt). They give the impression throughout this fight that they are just messing around and everything is okay. This is their way of minimizing attention to themselves.
Bullet Train, 2022

If Ladybug or Lemon had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), the fight scene would have… not changed one bit! Their behaviors matched exactly what an SAD sufferer would do. They fought as quietly as possible, even avoiding screaming in pain, as we saw when Lemon covered his mouth in anguish from his hand being smashed. And when being shushed by that lady, they smiled, apologized, and acted like nothing was happening. They acted appropriately to minimize attention on themselves. That is exactly what a Social Anxiety person would do.

Red Face of Social Anxiety on a Bullet Train

The reason why either Ladybug or Lemon would be afraid of disrupting other passengers and being publicly called out on it is because of SAD symptoms. If they are being publicly told to “shhhh!”, this draws attention to themselves. Other people would notice, stare, and start to judge them. Since SAD sufferer’s are socially uncomfortable with being observed and judged, Lemon and Ladybug would both develop the dreaded Red Face. They would blush bright red like a tomato and then start to sweat profusely all over the face and body. Then their muscles would stiffen, hands/fingers would tremble, and heart would beat out their chests. And if someone calls attention to their red, sweaty faces (which causes more people to look and stare), then they would blush and sweat even more. It’s super uncomfortable!

Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) covers his mouth in pain as Ladybug (Brad Pitt) just smashed shut the aggressively shut the laptop onto Lemon’s hand. He covers his mouth to avoid screaming and drawing attention to himself.
Bullet Train, 2022

So during that fight scene, they did exactly what an social anxiety sufferer would do. They tried their absolute best to minimize the amount of attention that is put on them. In the movie, they didn’t want to get kicked off the train. But if Ladybug or Lemon had Social Anxiety Disorder, they would be worried about being embarrassed or humiliation. Embarrassment causes Red Face and no one wants to deal with that. Better to just sit in their seats and get along.

Aladdin dance scene: Three Social Anxiety triggers

The dance scene in Aladdin can be broken into three parts, all of which are heavy contributors to triggering Social Anxiety.

Disney’s 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin has become hugely successful grossing over $1.5B worldwide. The live-action remake of the original Disney film has star power, new and familiar songs, and the same successful plot as its animated predecessor. Add in some more comedy (Will Smith) and colorful wardrobes, and this movie passes with high ratings. Recently getting the greenlight to make a sequel for release in 2025, Aladdin 2 will probably be just as successful as the first. And better yet, the original cast of Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine), and Will Smith (Genie) are all set to return.

As much as we look forward to Aladdin 2, there is still something that needs to be discussed in Aladdin (2019). That is, the effect of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) on the main character of the film, Aladdin. Before we get into what scenes would actually trigger social anxiety in Aladdin, it’s important to know what SAD is. So unless you want to stay living inside a magic lamp all day, you should click here to learn a thing or two about Social Anxiety Disorder.

Aladdin’s Social Anxiety Trigger 1: Anticipation

While at the palace party, Genie (Will Smith) is persistent in his efforts to make Aladdin (Mena Massoud) approach princess Jasmine and speak to her. Aladdin continuously stalls and makes excuses before Genie finally used magic to push Aladdin to her. This forced the two into a conversation, which eventually led to a dance.
Aladdin, 2019

While at the party, Genie was trying to tell Aladdin to go talk to Jasmine. Aladdin kept stalling and said that he is “waiting for the right time.” This is a classic deflection for someone who is about to do something so nerve racking, but doesn’t want to it. Aladdin was stalling because this would be a high-anxiety provoking situation for him. The anticipation of doing something that is going to cause major social anxiety, like talking to the girl you like, is a powerful force. In fact, anticipation by itself can actually lead to social anxiety symptoms, including the awful Red Face. In other words, if Aladdin had SAD, his face could turn bright red and sweaty without ever speaking to Jasmine. The thoughts of all the things that can go wrong when speaking to her is enough to make him feel so embarrassed that he would actually blush and sweat. This is how dominant a force anticipation can be.

{We’ve seen Thor go through a similar anticipation force in Thor: Love and Thunder. Click here to check it out.}

Aladdin’s Social Anxiety Trigger 2: Talking to Jasmine

After a subtle magical push from Genie, Aladdin (Mena Massoud) finds himself speaking to princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and her hand maiden (Nasim Pedrad) while at the palace party. While speaking to the princess, Aladdin is nervous as he apologizes for his previous nervous encounter with Jasmine (jams, jewels, “buying you” comments) during their first meet. Jasmine finally interrupts him with an offer to dance.
Aladdin, 2019

After Genie heard enough of Aladdin’s excuses, he used magic to move Aladdin next to Jasmine and Dalia (Jasmine’s hand maiden). This forced Aladdin to start a dialogue with with the princess. Now any man can tell you how difficult it is to speak to your crush, but the difficulty is significantly amplified in the presence of SAD. Aladdin’s nervousness became obvious immediately as he kept stumbling over his words and apologizing. This uneasy and chaotic mixing of words in front of Jasmine would easily amplify his nervousness, and more so, his social anxiety. And to make matters worse, he would be judged from top to bottom by Dalia as she observes his every move.

If Aladdin had SAD, he would start feeling the rush of heat to his face from all the blood travelling there. Then his body’s cooling mechanism would go to work causing him to sweat profusely. Jasmine would surely notice the bright red, moisture filled face in front of her, and may call attention to it. This would make Aladdin sweat and blush even more. Not to mention, his hands would tremble, his muscles would stiffen, and his heart would be pounding out of his chest. At this point, Red Face and SAD symptoms would be out of control.

Aladdin’s Social Anxiety Trigger 3: All eyes on Aladdin

Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) dance at the palace party as a duet. Genie is magically moving Aladdin to properly align with this dance routine. Everyone at the party is watching this dance as two high profile people of royalty are dancing together: Aladdin (known at the time as Prince Ali) and princess Jasmine.
Aladdin, 2019

Being at a party does not mix well with have Social Anxiety Disorder. It just doesn’t. All those people, the pressure of comingling, and the thoughts of “don’t embarrass yourself” continues to repeat in your head. Party’s are a huge anxiety-provoking situation for SAD sufferers. Particularly in Aladdin’s case.

Surprised by Jasmine’s offer to dance, Aladdin was clueless about what was about to happen. He didn’t know how to dance as a duet with Jasmine, so he was fully reliant on Genie to magically move him into a dance routine. And since he was dancing with the princess, all eyes at the party were on him. Everyone watched as he figured out the dance and actually performed well (thanks to Genie). He even performed a solo act, including a standing backflip.

During the initial part of the dance, Aladdin was still trying to figure things out and looked a bit awkward. Jasmine gives him a subtle stare as to not embarrass her. In reality, Aladdin was the one embarrassed.
Aladdin, 2019

As cool as all that might sound, it could never happen if Aladdin had SAD. He just wouldn’t be able to pull that dance off knowing that all those judging eyes were watching and observing. Continuous thoughts of “don’t embarrass yourself” would be all over his mind. Then once he realizes how many people are watching him, including the girl her likes (Jasmine), he would instantly turn bright red, sweat everywhere, have trembling hands, stiff muscles, and may even feel nauseous. He could not pull all that off. Social Anxiety symptoms just wouldn’t allow him to focus on the dance. He would be too busy focusing on ways to hide his humiliation.

Major Social Anxiety Scene in Thor Love and Thunder

It’s the anticipation of being in a social situation that would really be devastating to Thor. Not the actual social event itself.

Developing social anxiety is not something Thor would expect, but even being the god of (love) and thunder cannot protect against SAD.

One of the most intriguing questions about Thor is what would he be doing after the events of Avengers: End Game. When he fought Thanos, he was completely out of shape and made a complete mess of himself. He then gave up the thrown of Asgard and jumped on a ship with the Guardians of the Galaxy. So now what will he do? Keep fighting of course! That is what he has been doing his whole life. So why stop now, right?!

Thor: Love and Thunder was probably the funniest movie that the MCU has put out thus far. Chris Hemsworth really transformed the Thor character into a hero with the best sense of humor. His comedic brilliance, combined with Taika Waititi’s Korg really made this movie more than just action and CGI. Then throw in guest appearances like Matt Damon reprising his screenplay actor role and the movie really outperforms in any other comedy the MCU has shown.

Thor, God, Thunder, Hammer, Axe, and Social Anxiety

Being Thor comes with a ton of really cool benefits. Lightening flows through your veins, access to mystical weapons, super strength, flight, space travel, and healing abilities are just some bonuses of being the god of thunder. But the one thing it doesn’t save you from is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). No amount of lightening can prevent SAD and the awful Red Face. So whether you are a god or just a regular human, it would be a good idea to be aware of this major SAD scene below.

Social Anxiety Scene: Anticipation

Left to Right: Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). The three are watching Zeus’ introductory performance at Omnipotence City. Thor stalls as Jane and Valkyrie continue to pressure him to interrupt Zeus and ask for his help.
Thor Love and Thunder, 2022

Movie: Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

Scene: Thor and friends at Omnipotence City watching Zeus’ performance

Anxiety Provoking Event: Thor is seated with his friends waiting to take center stage to publicly interrupt his hero Zeus, while thousands are looking on.

One of the biggest and most terrifying triggers for someone with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is anticipation of a social event. Particularly an event which will cause all eyes to be on you. In Thor: Love and Thunder, we witnessed a major scene of anticipation when Thor and company visited Omnipotence City. This is a magical, floating city which is home to the gods of the universe, including Thor’s childhood hero, Zeus.

Thor and friends were on a mission to recruit some of the mightiest gods in the universe to form a “god army” to eliminate Gorr, the god butcher. They were in attendance at a magical coliseum-like building when Zeus (the god in charge) started the show. Thor was very excited to see his hero in real life. As he was looking on like an excited child, Jane and Valkyrie tried to egg Thor on to interrupt Zeus and ask him for his help. But the god of Thunder kept stalling as he was in awe of Zeus’ performance. He replied to Val and Jane that he could not interrupt Zeus at this time because his introduction performances are legendary. He told them that he’ll have to wait for the right time.

Left-to-Right: Korg (Taika Waititi), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) watching Thor on the center stage in front of thousands of gods in Omnipotence City. Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

While performing his introductory show and making an impassioned speech about orgy’s (so weird), Zeus calls out Thor for speaking while he was speaking. He instructs Thor to come to the center of the stage and speak his mind in front of everyone. So, Thor did as he was told to do and made a public plea for help in front of the gods of the universe. This eventually led to a battle between Thor and friends vs Zeus and his weird security guard things.

The Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

Thor knew he had to address Zeus (his hero) in front of the hundreds/thousands of other gods in attendance. Valkyrie, Jane, and Korg were all with him and were pressuring him to start already. Thor decided to keep stalling until the time was right. He kept making excuses about the importance of letting Zeus finish his show and how much he has admired him since childhood. But as Zeus kept performing and speaking, Jane and Val kept putting more and more pressure on Thor to interrupt him and ask already. The anticipation of a major social event, like interrupting Zeus, taking center stage, and publicly speaking out for help, is a major trigger for SAD sufferers.

Zeus (Russell Crowe) addresses the gods of the universe on the grandest stage in Omnipotence City. In the crowd are Thor, Jane, Valkyrie, and Korg watching on.
Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

If Thor had Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), then the whole time he was sitting and waiting for this majorly public social event he would need to do would be devastating to him. This social event which would cause so much anxiety is composed of four (4) parts:

Interrupting an authority figure
Being in the lime light by taking the center state and having all eyes on Thor
Speaking in front of everyone and to the authority figure
Being watched by his friends (Val and Korg), and more frightening, the woman he loves: Jane

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) standing in front of Zeus and thousands of gods in attendance at Omnipotence City. Zeus just “flicked” Thor’s clothes off, leaving him completely naked in front of the crowd.
Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022

Symptoms of the Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

While sitting and waiting for “the right time” to interrupt Zeus, Thor would be feeling super anxious. He would have butterflies in his stomach, he would be sweating profusely, and would even be blushing in anticipation of what would be happening in the next few moments. His heart would be beating out of his chest a thousand times per minute and would even feel lightheaded and nauseous. His hands would be sweating and noticeably trembling. And since he was sitting next to the woman he loves, Jane, Thor would be making considerable effort to hide his symptoms from her. His mind would be racing with a million thoughts on how he can buffer his symptoms or prevent Jane from noticing them.

So ultimately, Thor would develop the dreaded Red Face symptoms without even being put in a social situation. It’s the anticipation of being in a social situation that would really be devastating to Thor.

Avengers Impacted by Social Anxiety

Iron Man

Work Life

Social Life

Thor

Work Life

Social Life

Captain America

Work Life

Social Life

Black Widow

Work Life

Social Life

Hawkeye

Work Life

Social Life

Hulk

Work Life

Social Life

Three Social Anxiety Scenes in Black Panther

Black Panther Social Anxiety scene 1

Socializing at the casino

Black Panther Social Anxiety scene 2

Nakia’s social Skills

Black Panther Social Anxiety scene 3

Okoye Challenges Killmonger.

She-Hulk Social Anxiety Moment 1

Trial Lawyer equals social strength

She-Hulk Social Anxiety Moment 2

Dating Apps make life easy

She-Hulk Social Anxiety Moment 3

Winning an award is always a good thing, right?

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Social Anxiety Scene 1

Nightclub Scene Breakdown

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Social Anxiety Scene 2

Dance Scene Breakdown

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Social Anxiety Scene 3

Scene Breakdwown

Thanos’ Mind

CBT – the Thanos Mind Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Scene 1: The Principals Office

Anticipation

Direct Accusation

Being Called On To speak

Social Anxiety Scene 2: Sitting next to Martha

he likes her

red face

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social Anxiety scene in Oceans Eleven

SAD scene breakdown

Authority Figures not a good thing

The other things that are not a good thing

What would happen if George Clooney had Social Anxiety Disorder

Bottom Line

Social Anxiety is worse than a Slow Bullet Train

Social Anxiety scene in Bullet Train

Social Anxiety and Attention on the Bullet Train

Red Face of Social Anxiety on a Bullet Train

Aladdin’s Social Anxiety Trigger 1: Anticipation

Aladdin’s Social Anxiety Trigger 2: Talking to Jasmine

Aladdin’s Social Anxiety Trigger 3: All eyes on Aladdin

Thor, God, Thunder, Hammer, Axe, and Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety Scene: Anticipation

The Social Anxiety Anticipation Event

Symptoms of the Social Anxiety Anticipation Event