Awkward
The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
Discover how the same traits that make us feel uneasy in social situations also provide the seeds for extraordinary success.
As humans, we all need to belong. While modern social life can make even the most charismatic of us feel gawky, for roughly one in five of us, navigating its challenges is overwhelming. Psychologist and interpersonal relationship expert Ty Tashiro knows what it's like to be awkward. Growing up, he could do complex arithmetic in his head and memorize the earned run averages of every National League starting pitcher. But he struggled to add up social cues during interactions with other kids and was prone to forget routine social expectations.
In Awkard, Ty unpacks decades of research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and sociology to help us better understand this widely share trait and its origins. He considers how awkward people view our complex world and explains how we can more comfortably engage with it, delivering a welcome, counterintuitive message: the same characteristics that make people socially clumsy can be harnessed to produce remarkable achievements.
Interweaving the latest research with personal tales and real-world examples, Awkward provides valuable insights into how we can embrace our personal quirks and unique talents to realize our awesome potential.
Customer Reviews
Reframing Awkwardness
I picked up Awkward after hearing Ty Tashiro on a podcast with Simon Sinek. The book starts strong, clearly defining social awkwardness and grounding its arguments in research and well-chosen examples. The early chapters do a good job of reframing awkwardness as a set of tradeoffs rather than a deficit.
However, as the book progresses, the analysis becomes repetitive. The central thesis is reinforced more than it is developed, and later chapters rely heavily on anecdotal evidence without adding substantially new insight or practical frameworks. What might have worked better as a tightly edited first half ends up feeling stretched across the full length.
Overall, it’s a thoughtful and validating read, particularly at the beginning, but one that loses momentum. Worth reading for its core ideas, though not as impactful as the opening suggests.