An avoidant social phenotype predicts the onset and prognosis of anorexia nervosa, as difficulty relating to and connecting with others predates onset with anorexic patients having a greater risk of insufficient social networks (no childhood close friends, fewer social activities, less social support). People with certain temperamental characteristics such as shyness, internalizing problems, loneliness, feelings of inferiority, and social anxiety are more likely to develop eating disorders. Anxious avoidant behaviors of emotions, social experiences, and attachments are also associated with increased risk of anorexia nervosa development. These issues are worsened by starvation with social avoidance becoming a core feature of eating disorder patients as their social network further shrinks upon progression of the illness. As the brain shrinks from food restriction, high-level functions that enable communication are impaired and oxytocin levels are drastically reduced, further damaging social connection. These traits sometimes persist after recovery from anorexia nervosa. For example, oxytocin levels continue to be reduced following recovery, but normal brain activation to emotional faces after full recovery indicates that some neurological issues impairing social processing in acute anorexia nervosa may be reversible.