Social inhibition is a conscious or unconscious constraint or curtailment by a person of a process or behaviour that the person may consider objectionable in a social setting. Inhibitions can serve necessary social functions, reducing or preventing certain antisocial impulses from being acted on.
Inhibitions vary greatly from person to person, and may be closely linked to a person's confidence. An extreme lack of inhibition may be antisocial and a symptom of a mental disorder, such as hypomania and mania. On the other hand, a high level of inhibition may also create personal problems, including an inability to feel or express certain emotions.
The consumption of alcohol or certain drugs may reduce inhibitions with effects varying from person to person. On the other hand, some substances may actually strengthen these inhibitions. As an example, abuse of stimulants may lead to anxiety and heightened inhibition. This is more common in drugs with dysphoric effects. Others believe that the classic "alcohol: without alcohol" experiment[citation needed] demonstrates that people often simply need the alcohol as an excuse to act in ways they would not otherwise do.
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