Boldness
opposite of fear
Boldness is the opposite of shyness. To be bold implies a willingness to get things done despite risks.
For example, in the context of sociability, a bold person may be willing to risk shame or rejection in social situations, or to bend rules of etiquette or politeness. An excessively bold person could aggressively ask for money, or persistently push someone to fulfill a request.
The word bold may also be used as a synonym of impudent; for example, a child may be punished for being "bold" by acting disrespectfully toward an adult or by misbehaving.
Boldness as a philosophical virtue was admired by the ancient Greeks.
Boldness may be contrasted with courage in that the latter implies having fear but confronting it.
Description
In behavioral ecology, the shy⟷bold continuum is studied as it exists in humans and certain other species. Shyness and boldness represent "a propensity to take risks". Bold individuals tend to become dominant, revealing a correlation between boldness and social dominance.
The public source identifies “Boldness” as opposite of fear. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Boldness, opposite and fear.
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This entry incorporates text from “Boldness” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.