A conference on shyness organized by the British Psychological Society held in Cardiff last week revealed that the number of people assessing themselves as shy has increased by 20% over the last two decades, and is now reaching epidemic proportions. The Guardian newspaper reports that the main blame was placed on an erosion of the social glue of casual conversation by the growing popularity of electronic mail, the disappearance of jobs such as bank tellers and shop assistants, and the hypnotic quality of computer games. For every hour we spend on e-mail we should spend an hour talking to someone, advised Professor Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. By the year 2000 it may be possible to go through the day without talking to another person directly.
