The key difference between shy and quiet is that shy means being nervous or timid in the company of others whereas quiet means not doing much talk and being calm.
Most people often tend to think that shyness and quietness are the same, but this is not so. The confusion arises because most shy people appear quiet and introverted. However, quiet people can be quite friendly and outgoing, unlike shy people.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What Does Shy Mean
3. What Does Quiet Mean
4. Side by Side Comparison – Shy vs Quiet in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What Does Shy Mean?
Shy means being nervous or timid in the company of others. A shy person may feel uncomfortable or nervous around other people, especially if they are strangers. Shyness is often a common occurrence with unfamiliar people or new situations. Moreover, an extremely shy person may also blush or stammer when talking to other people. Furthermore, a shy person will feel easily embarrassed, and will often prefer to avoid social situations.
Furthermore, shyness is often noticed with people with low self-esteem since it is their ego-driven fear of what other people will think of them that makes them shy. Thus, this results in a person being scared of saying or doing things they want out of fear of criticism, negative reactions, embarrassment or rejection. Extreme forms of shyness are usually known as social phobia or social anxiety.
Moreover, a child who is shy towards strangers may ultimately lose this trait and may become more socially adept with age. However, in some cases, shyness may become a lifelong trait.
What Does Quiet Mean?
A quiet person is not necessarily shy; he or she may simply prefer to talk less. Thus, quietness does not stem from timidity or anxiety, unlike shyness. Some quiet people do not prefer to be around a lot of people whereas some quiet people enjoy being around others, but they prefer not to talk much.
In brief, a quiet person is comfortable being silent and has no problem keeping his thoughts or opinions to himself. Furthermore, quiet people often tend to be more observant than others. They also tend to be good listeners.
What is the Difference Between Shy and Quiet?
Shy means being nervous or timid in the company of others whereas quiet means not making much talk and being calm. Therefore, this is the main difference between shy and quiet. Moreover, a shy person will be anxious and uncomfortable around others while a quiet person will not have this problem; quiet people simply prefer to talk less. While shy people may blush or stammer when interacting with strangers, quiet people will have no problem interacting with others. So, this is also a significant difference between shy and quiet.
Furthermore, another major difference between shy and quiet, in a discussion or another interaction, a shy person may want to voice his/her opinions but may remain silent due to criticism, rejection or negative response. However, a quiet person may feel comfortable with being silent and observant.
Summary – Shy vs Quiet
Although most people assume that shy and quiet mean the same, this is incorrect. There is a distinct difference between a shy and quiet person. The key difference between shy and quiet is that shy means being nervous or timid in the company of others whereas quiet means not making much talk and being calm.
Image Courtesy:
1.”1606572″ by LuidmilaKot (CC0) via pixabay
2.”67865829″ by Katie Tegtmeyer (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr