Social awkwardness
Subject in Social Sciences
Social awkwardness has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including TED Radio Hour. 2 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Ty TashiroPsychologist and social scientist, author of Awkward: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome
Tashiro recommends his parents' advice that awkward people should figure out how to fit in without losing themselves.
“hey, Ty, so the key is figuring out how to fit in without losing yourself. And I think that's such great advice”
TED Radio Hour: Life can be so awkward. Here's how to embrace the embarrassing (Sep 25, 2026) · Listen from 21:00
Tashiro claims there is a robust correlation between awkward characteristics and striking talent or extraordinary achievement.
“there's this curious correlation that's pretty robust between awkward characteristics and what psychologists would call striking talent or extraordinary achievement”
TED Radio Hour: Life can be so awkward. Here's how to embrace the embarrassing (Sep 25, 2026) · Listen from 19:38
Tashiro says awkward people are routine-focused and can feel panicked when their structures are disrupted.
“And although any of us can get a little frustrated when our routines get interrupted, awkward people can get really bent out of shape about that”
TED Radio Hour: Life can be so awkward. Here's how to embrace the embarrassing (Sep 25, 2026) · Listen from 16:10
Tashiro uses an analogy in which awkward people see the social stage spotlighted slightly off-center, missing key social information but gaining unusual perspective.
“awkward people, by comparison, see that same stage not broadly illuminated, but spotlighted. And to make things interesting, that spotlight tends to fall a little left of center”
TED Radio Hour: Life can be so awkward. Here's how to embrace the embarrassing (Sep 25, 2026) · Listen from 12:45
Liana FinckNew Yorker cartoonist and author
Finck says she knows the social rules but finds they don't make sense to her and works hard to follow them.
“I feel like I know the rules, but I feel intensely that they don't actually make sense to me and that I'm working really hard to follow them”
TED Radio Hour: Life can be so awkward. Here's how to embrace the embarrassing (Sep 25, 2026) · Listen from 31:21
Podcasts
- TED Radio Hour · 1 episode
Episodes
Life can be so awkward. Here's how to embrace the embarrassingTED Radio Hour · Sep 25, 2026 · 50 min
Manoush Zomorodi talks with Ty Tashiro, Liana Finck, Melissa Dahl and Erin Chen about awkwardness, embarrassment, cringe and talking openly about sex.