Can you inherit shyness? That’s like asking whether you can inherit long legs or brown eyes. Sure you can. But it’s not a rule. For instance, I have a girlfriend who groans, “My brother inherited Mom’s long black eyelashes, and I got Dad’s stubby pale ones.” Not fair, but there’s nothing she can do about it. Genes will go where they want.
It’s the same with inheriting shyness. It’s a roll of the dice. Nevertheless, a study called “Childhood Shyness and Maternal Social Phobia” found that children who had shy mothers are eight times more likely to be shy themselves. Twenty percent of Shys have first-degree relatives with a phobia.61
By unearthing the origins of your shyness, you can achieve more realistic goals. For example, people who inherited their shyness usually have an extra-sensitive nature, and they should not struggle to become extroverts. Research shows that only extremely rarely will they succeed. More important, these sensitive people would not be happy as extroverts.