Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS)
How anxious do you feel in social situations?
Social situations making you anxious? The LSAS maps out how much fear and avoidance you experience across 24 common social scenarios - from eating in public to speaking up in meetings. Two ratings per situation (fear plus avoidance), about 10 minutes
How much does social anxiety hold you back?
Social anxiety isn't just being shy. Everyone gets nervous in some situations, but when it gets strong enough that you start avoiding everyday interactions—that's when it matters.
The LSAS measures this across 24 common situations. For each one, you rate two things: how much fear or anxiety you feel, and how often you avoid it.
What It Measures
The LSAS covers two types of situations:
Performance Anxiety (13 items) — Doing things while being watched: public speaking, eating or writing in public, speaking up at meetings, taking a test, using a public bathroom, and more.
Social Interaction Anxiety (11 items) — Talking to people: authority figures, strangers, parties, being the center of attention, returning goods to a store, and more.
For each situation you answer on a 0-3 scale: "How anxious/fearful do I feel?" and "How often do I avoid it?"
Who Uses It
- Clinical diagnosis — Primary tool for assessing social anxiety disorder
- Treatment research — Widely used in research on CBT, medication, and other interventions
- Community screening — Chinese version cutoff of ≥38 gives 85.5% sensitivity
- Research — Validated in multiple cultural contexts
Psychometrics
Internal consistency Cronbach's α > 0.90. Test-retest reliability r > 0.80 (1-week). Validated in Chinese by He & Zhang (2004) with 754 participants. Excellent convergent validity with clinician-rated severity.
Score Ranges
- 0-29: Minimal social anxiety
- 30-49: Mild — discomfort in some situations
- 50-64: Moderate — noticeable anxiety across situations
- 65-79: Marked — actively avoiding multiple situations
- 80-94: Severe — significant functional impairment
- ≥95: Very severe — near-total avoidance
About This Test
The LSAS has 24 items, each rated on two dimensions (Fear/Anxiety and Avoidance) from 0-3. Takes about 10 minutes. Total score range 0-144, higher = more social anxiety.
Disclaimer: This is a screening tool, not a clinical diagnostic instrument. If you have concerns about your mental health, please consult a professional.
Scoring Guide
24 items, each rated on Fear/Anxiety (0-3) and Avoidance (0-3). Fear 0-72, Avoid 0-72. Total 0-144. 13P+11S items. No reverse.Result Interpretation
After completing the 24 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Dimension breakdown — separate scores for each sub-scale
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.