Clogged toilets, odious jokes, difficult condolences… awkward moments are everywhere you look. In episode 113 of Overthink, Ellie and David invite philosopher Alexandra Plakias to talk through her research on awkwardness. They discuss everything from hasty clean-ups to snap decisions, from oversharing online to uncomfortable silences, as they explore the ways that awkwardness is bound up with power, morality, and the core scripts of our social expectations. Where does cringe end and awkwardne...
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Hello and welcome to Overthink, the podcast.
Where.
I'm Dr.
Ellie Anderson.
And I'm Dr.
David Pena Guzman.
And yeah, whether it's awkward laughter, awkward silence, or awkward people, today's the day we're talking about it.
A recent study showed that one in four adult Americans consider themselves more awkward than other people.
And among 18 to 29 year olds, the number rises to 37%.
So, like, a third of young people, a third of our target audience feels awkward.
And a quarter of Americans in general feel they are more awkward than most people.
Although I have to say the statistics are kind of bizarre because it's still less than 50%.
So technically speaking, like, could be right.
Yeah, they could be right.
Yeah.