Study reveals one simple trick to reduce social anxiety.

Photo: flickr/Chicago Art DepartmentDo you suffer from fear of public speaking? Do you dread having to make a good first impression? If so, this study is for you! Apparently, the words you use to talk to yourself could have a big impact in how you handle stressful social situations. More specifically, talking to yourself in third person and using your own name (e.g.,"Jane did a pretty good job in that presentation.") was associated with less social anxiety than using first person (e.g., "I did a pretty good job on that presentation.") because it allowed people to distance themselves during introspection. Just be careful that you don't start referring yourself in third person out loud -- that's just weird.Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: how you do it matters. "Does the language people use to refer to the self during introspection influence how they think, feel, and behave under social stress? If ...