Awkwardness gets a bad rap, but the trait is often an indicator that someone is extraordinary.  

Psychologist and author Ty Tashiro has spent a great deal of time studying (and living!) social awkwardness. He's fascinated by how the same traits that cause us social embarrassment can also drive exceptional accomplishment. 

As a fellow awkward person myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Ty about the advantages of being awkward, what the socially fluent can learn from awkward people, and the best way to navigate conversations in loud clubs.

This...is A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Ty and his work check out: 

His book: AWKWARD: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome.

tytashiro.com