I spent the better part of my childhood hanging back from people I didn't know and blushing at the slightest comment. I certainly don't look back at the young version of myself and see anything remotely threatening. Researchers, however, are starting to question a possible link between school shootings and a certain form of shyness.

Cynical shyness is a term given to a subclass of shy people. It affects mostly males. In addition to the typical anxieties people who are shy feel, those with cynical shyness also harbor anger or hostility to those that they perceive as rejecting them. The lead author of the study explained that people with this attitude often develop a feeling of everyone being against them and they become a "cult of one." The possibility of a connection is important because it could lead to identifying kids who could potentially become violent without early intervention.

Researchers are quick to point out that shyness is not necessarily a bad thing and all kids who are shy should not be singled out and perceived as threats. On a cynically shy scale of 10, some of the kids who have committed shootings at school and/or home have rated at least 6 or higher.