shyness

"I suspect people may have thought 'oh he's pretty standoffish' but it's a combination of shyness and not knowing what to say," he said.

Intrigued by shyness, Zimbardo founded the Stanford Shyness Clinic to uncover the roots of anxiety, panic and social phobia.

“Her enthusiasm and spontaneity delighted him. Her jokes diverted him. Her social gifts offset his abiding shyness. ... Her passion moved him. Her devotion offered him reassurance and security,” Schlesinger wrote.

Myers is especially fine conveying a sort of shyness seasoned with bravado, along with various degrees of worry that only increase as she blusters her way into ever more perilous situations.

They said a “truthful” depiction of Copperfield would describe his “kindness, shyness and treatment of men and women with respect.”