In this chapter, we considered the evolutionary and neuroscientific basis for shyness. More specifically, we discussed the adaptive aspects of different subtypes of shyness, the putative function of these subtypes, some of the regulatory mechanisms of shyness subtypes, and how these mechanisms maybe instantiated in the brain. We put forth a speculate hypothesis that some types of shyness may be adaptive and linked to a delaying of brain maturation (i.e., neoteny). This delaying of maturation may have served an important function in our evolutionary past as humans began to evolve, our neocortex grew larger, and social interactions became more complex in that it may have allowed some individuals more time for additional learning to take place about the intentions and motives of conspecifics. To that end, in some sense, the shy brain has remained forever young.
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