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amsterlund · 4426 days ago · link · · parent · post: Lil's Book of Questions: Why Is Public Speaking So Difficult?
Some, notably from the field of evolutionary psychology, argue that fear of public speaking is an evolutionary adaptation. We've spent the bulk of our time (approximately 99%, but depending on your definitions) as hunter-gatherers living in small groups. Speaking something that was disapproved of may get you excluded from the group. A solitary human in ancestral times stood little chances of survival, let alone procreation. Thus one may argue, fear of public speaking is not only common, it is also natural. It is something we all have to overcome. I find comfort in this.