Curiosity training is a mindfulness practice that can be used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to improve social anxiety.

Social anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that causes anxiety or fear in social settings. It can cause symptoms like blushing, nausea, sweating, dizziness, and a rapid heart rate.

Meeting new people, talking with others, and attending gatherings can cause anxiety about being judged or scrutinized.

When experiencing social anxiety, people might be in their head self-critiquing their performance, scripting what to say next, reading into potential judgment from others, worrying about how an interaction will go, and picking out all the perceived negative things about how it went afterward.

These anxious self-monitoring symptoms and safety-seeking behaviors come from a place of wanting to improve social interactions, but instead often contribute to the anxiety cycle and have a negative effect.

Curiosity training is a mindfulness practice that can be used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is one of the most recommended treatments to improve social anxiety.

In a nutshell, curiosity training helps shift the mind from internal thoughts and insecurities to external observation.

Much of CBT involves an internally focused mindfulness practice, such as meditation. But externally-focused attention is where curiosity training stands out, and it makes a great complement to internally-focused practice.

According to the cofounder of the National Social Anxiety Center, Larry Cohen, LICSW, A-CBT, the goal is to focus on curiosity rather than judgment in social situations and to be aware of your thoughts and feelings without becoming involved with them.

If you experience social anxiety, then definitely ask your therapist about curiosity training.

Keep in mind that social anxiety is different from being shy. Shyness is a personality trait, whereas social anxiety is a type of anxiety disorder.

During curiosity training, one of the main goals is to practice paying attention.

Your therapist may assign you “curiosity homework,” such as watching a series of videos while you practice shifting your thoughts to the background and shifting your full focus from one element of the video to the next.

You might also go somewhere simply to observe for 10 minutes. What do you see and hear? Slowly shift focus from one sight or sound to another. Mentally label any thoughts or feelings that come up as background noise.

Keeping a daily log of these observation sessions can help.

Then there is the more participatory curiosity training, which may involve:

  • putting yourself in social situations each day to practice
  • focusing mindfully during conversations for at least 5 minutes with a mindset of curiosity instead of judgment
  • getting absorbed in a conversation
  • treating your thoughts and feelings like background noise
  • logging the social duration and how mindful you were on a scale each day

Curiosity can be strengthened the more you practice.

Ask questions and take an interest in what others are saying. Allow yourself to become absorbed in the conversation. What about the conversation or the people do you find fascinating?

Be patient with yourself and start small. You’ll be able to build up to longer conversations in time. Eventually, you’ll be able to engage in longer social anxiety experiments.

And remember to release criticism of yourself as many times as you need to — there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to being social!

To get started, here is a list of settings for practicing curiosity in social situations that you could do on your own, with a friend, or with a group:

  • walking in a park or zoo
  • going to a bookstore or coffee shop
  • visiting a museum
  • joining a book club, craft club, or community sports team
  • meeting up with a hiking or walking group
  • hanging out before or after a religious service, class, or lecture
  • waiting for a bus, train, or plane
  • hosting a dinner party
  • attending a festival
  • standing in line anywhere

Silently labeling if your thoughts are “mindful,” “curious,” or “background noise” as you feel your attention slipping may help you return to the conversation or activity at hand.

Keeping a daily gratitude log can also help your mind release the old habit of focusing on the negative aspects of what you experience and to notice the positive elements. This is a great time to reframe negative core beliefs. Try doing this each day for a month.

For example:

Old belief: I never learned how to meet people or connect with them.
Reframed: I actually connect well with people when I am mindful and focused on the conversation.

As part of CBT, curiosity training can be used as an external mindfulness practice to improve social anxiety. By practicing regularly (ideally daily) and combining social experiments with reframing your thoughts, you can reduce your anxiety and increase your self-confidence.

Though you can certainly practice it on your own, it’s best to work with a mental health professional for the best results.