Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE)
Leary (1983) — 12-item brief version
Do you worry a lot about what others think? Afraid of saying the wrong thing or having your flaws noticed? The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) uses 12 items to measure how sensitive you are to being judged by others.
Worrying about what others think is a basic social instinct. But when that worry takes over — replaying conversations, dreading being judged, avoiding social situations because you cannot handle the scrutiny — it stops being just "being sensitive" and starts being a real problem.
Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) is exactly what it sounds like: an intense fear of being judged negatively by others. It is a core feature of social anxiety disorder, and it can show up even in people who seem fine on the outside.
What the BFNE Measures
The Brief FNE Scale (Leary, 1983) is a 12-item short form of the original 30-item FNE by Watson & Friend (1969). It takes about 3 minutes. It asks about your general tendency — not how you feel today, but how you usually are.
Scoring
Total score range: 12–60. Four items are reverse-scored (2, 4, 7, 10). Higher scores mean more fear of negative evaluation.
This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. If social anxiety is interfering with your daily life, consider professional support — CBT for social anxiety has a strong track record.
> Reference: Leary, M. R. (1983). A brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. *Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin*, 9, 371–376.
Scoring Guide
Sum of all 12 items, range 12-60. Reverse-scored: items 2,4,7,10. Higher scores indicate more fear of negative evaluation.Result Interpretation
Finish the 12 questions and you get your results straight away — no account, no sign-up, no waiting.
We calculate your total from your answers, then give you a plain-language explanation of what the numbers mean. Whenever possible, we also show how your results compare to population norms.
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