Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Awkwardness of Silence
What is really so awkward about silence? The term "awkward silence" is used more often than ever. But admit it is really weird if you are sitting in a room with people you may not know very well and no one is saying or doing anything. Many people talk, talk, and talk about nothing just to cover up the silence and I don't blame them! My question is, how come the more comfortable we are with someone, the less awkward it is to be silent? Wouldn't you have more to talk about with your close friends than complete strangers? But it is often the exact opposite. I know that when I am talking to someone that I don't know I try to talk and think of anything to say because any moment of silent seems to last forever. When I am with my friends sometimes it is silent and I don't even notice.
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2 comments:
I agree that silence is definitely uncomfortable especially when carrying on a conversation with someone who you just met--I feel that this seems awkward because introductions are supposed to be a time of getting to know each other, and if a conversation is "dropped" it creates a sense of failure. You don't really know what to say/do in front of someone that you just met, and thus doing nothing makes you feel even more self conscious, because in your mind you feel like you should be taking the initiative to engage in a conversation. Silence does not seem to be as uncomfortable when you are with someone you are close with, because you have a sense of familiarity with them. People tend to become so self conscious during silence, and believe that they are being scrutinized/judged, but you don't need to worry about someone you love or are close to judging you too harshly. Also, I thought it was very true and interesting how you mentioned how silence and time relate--a second can seem like forever. I wonder why that is...do we exaggerate how we feel, or does our mind actually make us think that the time is dragging on?
Yeah...i completely agree..It is much easier to be silent with your friends, but around strangers it feels weird. You need to have the convo going, so it doesn't get awkward when you have nothing to say.
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