Psychology Explains Why Avoiding Familiar Faces in Public Isn't Always Social Anxiety

Many people deliberately avoid eye contact with familiar faces in public to sidestep unexpected conversations. Such avoidance can be driven by ordinary factors like being rushed or distracted. Some individuals, however, avoid direct visual contact because they experience social anxiety. The article notes that planned meet-ups differ from chance encounters in the kind of interaction people anticipate. The piece highlights that this behavior has multiple possible explanations rather than a single cause.