Why being Socially Awkward is more Fun

Great news! Your propensity for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, or not knowing what to say at the right time, may not be so bad after all!


You don’t have to rely on other people to make you laugh; you can laugh at yourself. When you trip and fall over your own high heel shoes, you don’t have to feel embarrassed, I’m sure the words coming out of your mouth are much more embarrassing.

An article on A Plus directed me towards a Vsauce video by Michael where he explains how being socially awkward is not all bad! Social awkwardness can actually make you seem more trustworthy and more forgivable.  Socially awkward people are often thought of as kinder and more generous! Yay!

So relax and let your socially awkward personality shine through because it’s saving you from focusing on all the other embarrassing things that you do…like seeing how many beads you can stuff down your shirt at inopportune times.

Model: Thera Pacheco

But friends of socially awkward people, beware!  Appparently our awkwardness is contagious!  Michael explains something called vicarious embarassment, where our awkward behavior can make those around us feel awkward as well.  But hey, why wouldn’t you want to join the party? It’s fun!

All those times you thought to yourself, why did I say that?! or why didn’t I have anything I could have said?! No worries, you’re most likely a really cool person…you just have troubles showing people because you’re too busy being awkward.  The good news is, socially awkward people are more likely to show empathy to others who are going through a hard time.

Your familiarity with feeling awkward, should help you notice when others are feeling the same way, giving you the opportunity to reach out to them and either be awkward together (power in numbers!) or create a social situation that’s less awkward.  My last personal tip from one socially awkward woman to another…try wine… I’m not sure whether it actually makes us less socially awkward, or whether it just makes us forget/not realize how socially awkward we are, but either way it’s a social lubricant worth keeping in your toolbox.

Got any socially awkward friends? Share this article with them to make them realize it’s not that bad!

I think we should all stay loveably awkward.


J. Molly