Are You Socially Awkward?

Do you feel tongue-tied when you interact with people at a gathering? If yes, then does it imply that you are socially awkward? Find out for yourself.

Curious girl hiding in the hole and prying

“I’m a bad dater. I’m the most socially awkward person, like carrying on conversations and stuff.” – Lauren Conrad

You are at your friend’s party, and you know almost everyone over there. Despite this, you cannot seem to find the right topic to interact with the people out there. This is the case with quite a few people. This struggle to start a conversation, difficulty in making friends, feeling shy, etc., are a few characteristics that socially awkward people possess. However, if you are uncomfortable only in certain situations, you cannot be termed as “socially awkward.” For example, most of us are shy when we meet new people. So, everyone cannot be simply put into this category. Find your social quotient here!

Signs of Socially Awkward People

You feel uncomfortable when you are in a party or social gathering. You don’t mingle with people and stay aloof, or hang around with just a few close friends.

You are confused as to how to behave when you have people around. You try to think, rather overthink about how people will perceive your actions.

You find it difficult in striking a conversation. You tend to get nervous when asked to interact with an unknown person. You would rather let the other person do all the talking while you just reply to their questions.

Your humor may not be appreciated most of the time, and thus you avoid showing your hilarious side to others.

You face awkward silences while conversing with others. While you are talking to someone, you suddenly run out of words or thoughts to add to the topic. This brings the awkward silence, which you may not be able to break. Instead, you let the other person take the lead.

You tend to avoid eye contact while talking to others. You feel a slight awkwardness while looking into the person’s eyes and would prefer staring at the walls, the roof, or the floor.

You may be mocked by others in social situations. Due to your odd beliefs and mannerisms while interacting with people, you might have been mocked at in many situations. You may not be able to put your foot down, thus damaging your self-confidence.

You tend to find out ways and means to avoid any kind of social interaction. You would rather fake an illness or come up with some kind of excuse to avoid going to social gatherings.

Quiz Time

Take this quiz to find out if you really are socially awkward or are a social butterfly!

1. You go to the parlor to get a haircut but the stylist isn’t following your instructions. You will:

Interrupt the stylist and politely inform her about your requirement.
Let her go ahead with her work but confront her after her job is completed. You like the look anyway.
Tie your hair up, until it grows back to the size you actually wanted.

2. You are in a store and find someone staring at you. You will:

Walk up to him and strike a conversation.
Give a fake smile, and walk in the opposite direction.
Look down at the floor and quickly walk away.

3. The weekend has arrived, and your friends have planned an outing. You will:

Definitely go for the outing.
Check if your closest friend is also going.
Weekends are meant to sleep and take rest.

4. You walk into a bookstore and find the book that you were looking for since a while. But, someone else picked the book’s last copy. You will:

Go up to him and ask him to let you take the book.
Get it by hook or crook. After all, you were the first one to spot the book.
Simply walk out of the store. There are many bookstores around.

5. At a party, one will find you …

On the dance floor.
Chatting with a friend of yours.
Sitting at the bar or lounge all by yourself.

6. You bump into your old friend. You will:

Give her a tight hug. It’s been really long since you met her.
Give her a smile and start a conversation.
Cannot find any relevant topic to talk about.

7. There is a sudden awkward silence in the room. You will:

Crack a joke.
Wait for someone to speak.
Walk out of the room.

8. You have been selected to give a speech at an upcoming event. You:

Are excited about the selection.
Will ask your friend to join you on the stage.
Fake an illness to avoid the situation.

9. You are in a crowded room and want to sneeze. You will:

Sneeze in your normal volume. Who cares?
Walk away from the crowd quickly and then sneeze.
Hold a cloth tightly across your mouth and try to sneeze by making less noise.

10. You are playing truth or dare, and you get a dare to go up to your boyfriend and give him a peck. You will:

Immediately accept the dare. You will even give him a hug.
Take your time to perform the dare but will complete it at the end.
Refuse to do the dare.

Your result will be displayed here …

Overcoming Social Awkwardness

If the result of the quiz shows that you are socially awkward, there is nothing to worry about. Minute alternations to your personality will get you into the social butterfly category!

The first and the foremost thing to do is to develop your social confidence. Be confident while interacting with others.
Meet new people. Don’t avoid going to social gatherings.The more you meet people, the more confident you will become.
Look into the eye while talking to people. It shows that you are confident.
If you cannot find topics to talk about, inquire about one’s life, likes, and dislikes. This will help you to know the person better.
When you meet a person, greet him with a smile and shake hands. This gesture will act as an icebreaker, and your awkwardness will lessen.
If you have a friend who is confident in such situations, try to study his/her body language. You may learn a thing or two from his/her behavior.

Don’t worry guys. Always remember that you are not alone. You have your family and set of friends who love you the way you are. However, to make new friends and know more people, it is necessary to have a good social quotient. So, buck up people, and go from being a hermit crab to a social butterfly.