The Advantages of a Socially Awkward Brain with Ty Tashiro
Apr 29, 2024
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Psychologist Ty Tashiro explores the advantages of social awkwardness and its correlation with giftedness. He discusses leveraging unique quirks as superpowers, overcoming social exclusion, and turning awkwardness into a strength by applying focus and persistence. Learn how socially awkward individuals can excel through intense practice, deeper empathy, and meaningful relationships, while also addressing mental health impacts and strategies for enhancing social skills.
Social awkwardness can be a unique advantage for individuals, leading to exceptional talent and achievement.
Awkward individuals may struggle with social skills but possess intense focus and persistence, turning quirks into superpowers.
Deep dives
Social Awkwardness Defined
Social awkwardness can manifest as both awkward moments and awkward people. Awkward moments are minor deviations from social expectations, like having something stuck in your teeth, while awkward people struggle more with social skills and communication. These individuals have difficulty deciphering social expectations, executing the necessary social skills, and may struggle with communication, often being too blunt. Additionally, awkward individuals exhibit obsessive interest, delving deeply into their passions, which can be a unique advantage for them.
Debunking Myths Around Awkwardness
Common myths surrounding awkwardness include attributions of rudeness or lack of interest due to behaviors like lack of eye contact. However, awkward individuals often have good intentions and desire to navigate social interactions successfully. For awkward people, eye contact differs from socially fluent individuals as they may look at less information-rich areas of the face due to overstimulation in the eyes. Understanding these unique behaviors can dispel misconceptions about awkward individuals.
The Benefits of Awkwardness
Awkwardness can be linked to giftedness and exceptional achievement, with studies showing a correlation between extraordinary talent and social awkwardness. Awkward individuals display exceptional persistence and obsessive interest, leading to early mastery of skills through focused practice. This unique approach to learning and social interactions can provide valuable insights and perspectives, enhancing problem-solving abilities and fostering deep connections with others.
Can the traits that make you feel socially awkward actually be the key to unlocking extraordinary success?
We’ve all experienced a time when we felt like an outsider looking in. But for some, this isn’t a rare occurrence, but a constant struggle. In fact, research shows 10 – 15% of the population is socially awkward. But there is a strong correlation between social awkwardness and giftedness. You just have to learn how to use it to your advantage.
I’m excited to welcome Ty Tashiro to the show today. Ty is a psychologist and interpersonal relationship expert. He’s spent decades researching human intelligence, neuroscience, personality, and sociology to help us better understand this widely shared trait. He’s also the author of Awkward: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome. There are few things more psychologically devastating than social exclusion. But being awkward can be like speaking a second language. By taking the same focus and persistence that you naturally give to things you love and applying it to your social life, you can figure out how to fit in without losing yourself. Listen in as Ty shares how you can turn your unique quirks into your greatest superpower and never grapple over an awkward social interaction again.
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