Jonathan M. Cheek This is Me

Education

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1. 1. myselfdevelopment.net

   myselfdevelopment.net/index.ph - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/9/2007   Last Visited: 2/23/2008

   And if one identical twin is shy, the other also is likely to be shy, said Jonathan Cheek, a psychologist at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
   
   "This does not mean that shyness is predetermined by inheritance, or that it cannot be overcome," Cheek said, "but simply that some people are born more susceptible to becoming shy than are others."
   ...
   People might try imagining themselves in different social situations while taking slow, deep breaths to keep calm, said Cheek, the Wellesley psychologist.
   ...
   For instance, "if a shy man wants to ask a woman he sees at work out on a date, his first goal might be to have a brief conversation with her about some work-related topic," Cheek said.
   
   Before doing so, he should practice the conversation with a friend or a counselor, Cheek said. Then the second time the shy guy speaks to the woman, he could talk about something a bit more personal, until eventually, he feels comfortable asking her out on a date.
   
   People should also realize that "they need not take all the responsibility for any failure they might encounter," Cheek said.

2. 2. news.yahoo.com

   news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/2 - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/8/2007   Last Visited: 8/9/2007

   And if one identical twin is shy, the other also is likely to be shy, said Jonathan Cheek, a psychologist at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
   
   "This does not mean that shyness is predetermined by inheritance, or that it cannot be overcome," Cheek said, "but simply that some people are born more susceptible to becoming shy than are others."
   ...
   People might try imagining themselves in different social situations while taking slow, deep breaths to keep calm, said Cheek, the Wellesley psychologist.
   ...
   For instance, "if a shy man wants to ask a woman he sees at work out on a date, his first goal might be to have a brief conversation with her about some work-related topic," Cheek said.
   
   Before doing so, he should practice the conversation with a friend or a counselor, Cheek said. Then the second time the shy guy speaks to the woman, he could talk about something a bit more personal, until eventually, he feels comfortable asking her out on a date.
   
   People should also realize that "they need not take all the responsibility for any failure they might encounter," Cheek said.

3. 3. WJCD-FM SMOOTH JAZZ

   www.wjcd.com/script/headline_n - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/9/2001   Last Visited: 6/20/2002

   "Shy students rate their performance much more harshly that a panel of objective observers," said Wellesley College psychology professor and researcher Jonathan M. Cheek.
   
   Despite a recent flurry of self-help books celebrating shyness, Cheek says shyness is more than just a social inconvenience. Shy people miss out on too many of the good things in life. Cheek will teach a Wellesley College summer school seminar, "Psychology of Shyness," June 17-July 12, in which he and his students will study the real cost of shyness, including:
   
   -- a feeling of alienation in our increasingly impersonal culture
   
   -- the risk of medical problems, even early death, related to loneliness
   
   -- misunderstandings by people who think shy people are snobs or pushovers
   
   ...
   Shy people, Cheek said, can learn to become more self-confident. "It takes vast amounts of energy -- not to mention frustration -- just coping with life as a shy person," he said. "Why not channel that energy into becoming a more confident and outgoing person?" Here are Cheek's suggestions to help the chronically shy:
   
   -- Set goals each week to become friendlier by saying hello to others or asking about their work.
   
   -- Reward yourself by mentally patting yourself on the back or treating yourself to a bouquet of flowers or a new CD once a week. Practice followed by a well-earned reward reinforces that talking to others is pleasant, not a dreaded chore.
   ...
   Just as hotheads may lose friends, jobs or a lover if they don't learn to control their tempers, Cheek said, shy people stand to lose the same things if they cannot overcome their fear of social situations.
   
   For more information, contact Wellesley College Office for Public Information at 781-283-3321 or 781-283-2373, or e-mail acorday@wellesley.edu.
   
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