Shyness Associations With Approach/Avoidance-Related Behaviors in Clinically Anxious Adults in Canada: The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence Differs for Women and Men

We explored whether emotional intelligence (EI) and its four dimensions individually promoted approach-related behaviors (i.e., sociability) or mitigated avoidance-related behaviors (i.e., internalizing behaviors) in adults clinically diagnosed with anxiety prior to undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy. Participants were 160 patients (<i>M</i>_<i>age</i> = 39.50 years, <i>SD</i> = 13.65, 28.1% male) who completed online questionnaires related to shyness, EI, sociability, and internalizing behaviors prior to the start of group treatment. We found sex-specific EI moderating effects on the relation between shyness and sociability. Among women, EI <i>Self-Emotion Appraisal,</i> a dimension of EI, moderated this relation (<i>p</i> < .05) by reducing the negative effects of shyness on sociability. In men, the EI <i>Others' Emotion Appraisal</i> dimension played a comparable role. The findings suggest that EI may be a promising target of intervention to increase social approach behaviors in some clinically anxious patients, with particular relevance for understanding and addressing sex-related differences in socio-emotional abilities.