Signs You Are Socially Awkward
Social awkwardness is a lack of social skills caused by PTSD or childhood trauma. Generally, if you have an extreme fear of failure in social situations, feel uncomfortable in social interactions, and experience talk blocks during small talk, you are socially awkward. But that doesn’t mean you have social or generalized anxiety.
Social Awkwardness Vs. Introversion
The difference between social awkwardness and introversion is in cause and preference. While introversion is often a temperament, awkwardness is a side effect of post-traumatic stress disorder. Introverts intentionally choose loneliness or isolation because that’s how they recharge. But socially awkward individuals don’t like being lonely; they’d rather have an active social life.
| Social Awkwardness | Introversion |
| Can’t have small talk | Doesn’t want to have small talk |
| Feels nervous in social interactions | Doesn’t like social interactions |
| Can’t have proper eye contact | Doesn’t want to have eye contact |
| Doesn’t want to feel lonely | Enjoys being lonely |
| May experience talk blocks | Doesn’t participate in small talk |
How to Know if You’re Socially Awkward
One easy way to see if you’re awkward is by taking the social awkwardness quiz on this page. But if that’s not your thing, try looking for the following patterns in your behavior. If three or more of these signs are recognizable in your social life, you’re likely a socially awkward individual.
You Experience “Talk Blocks” Mid-conversation
One of the primary signs of awkwardness is feeling stuck in the middle of a conversation. It’s like your brain stops working, and you can’t find the right words to express your ideas. If that happens a lot, you might be socially awkward.
You’re Uncomfortable in Social Situations
Feeling overly anxious and experiencing physical symptoms like shortness of breath in social interactions is another sign of awkwardness. If interacting with others makes you feel sick, you might be socially awkward.
You Don’t Like Loneliness
Unlike an introverted person, a socially awkward individual doesn’t enjoy isolation. If you usually envy sociable people and want to be more like them, you might be dealing with social awkwardness.
You Have Twitches When Trying to Socialize
Twitches are minor spasms that occur unintentionally. If you have too many twitches in social situations and you feel too self-conscious about your body language, there’s a chance that you’re socially awkward.
You Can’t Initiate a Conversation and Are Bad at Small Talk
Often, socially awkward people overthink the first impression they leave on others. And that stops them from engaging in small talk and initiating a conversation. If you can relate to that, you might be awkward.
What Makes Someone Socially Awkward
Social awkwardness is usually a result of Adverse Childhood Experiences or traumas. But any traumatic event—regardless of the traumatized person’s age—can lead to socialization problems. That’s why some adults with average social skills become socially awkward after a particularly upsetting experience.
Ready to See If You’re Socially Awkward?
The following questions analyze your social skills and levels of anxiety in everyday interactions to determine if you’re socially awkward. Answer 20 basic questions about your emotions and intentions to see how sociable or unsociable you are—and discover why you are that way.
Please note that being socially awkward doesn’t mean that you are weird or there’s something wrong with you. It just indicates that you may need to brush up on your social skills and practice engaging in more social activities.
