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Some people just aren't meant to be cool.
By Emily Ratay — Written on Oct 04, 2017
I am probably one of the most socially awkward people I know. Spoiler alert: I'm an Aquarius and I'm at the top of this list, so there you go.
But really, I am not really a "plays well with others" kind of person. Never have been, probably never will be.
You could chalk up this kind of behavior to a lot of different reasons. But honestly, I know that I can count on myself to get things done. If I don't, then I'm the only one to blame.
Of course, science says that being socially awkward isn't just about preferring to be alone instead of hanging out with others.
That's more for the Aquarius side of things. Being socially awkward is more like a sense of anxiety while socializing, or not being comfortable in large groups, or having a hard time relaxing and having fun at a party even if I'm part of a couple.
My boyfriend is a Taurus and he can pretty much make friends with anyone. He can go into 7-Eleven for five minutes and come out talking to someone about cars.
If I could do that, I would be a lot more social. But I just get weird and feel a bit of stress when I'm around people I don't know.
I know a lot of people out there are in the same boat as me, especially when they date a guy who likes to socialize. We get that we can't always vibe with everyone, but that doesn't mean we're totally strange or stressed out all the time.
I mean, maybe I'd rather hang out with your dog at your party instead of you, you know?
Still, being socially awkward can come at a price. Instead of living it up at a party, it can be hard to loosen up and just have fun for a while.
Of course, there's always alcohol, but it's not fun when you constantly have to rely on a drink or two to get you in the right state of mind.
Other times, your friends want you to come out and join them for a giant group thing (whatever that might be), but you're much more content to stay at home and hang by yourself.
One thing I notice that a lot of socially awkward people do is take a lot of time by themselves to recharge their batteries.
But honestly, while our batteries might not have as long a charge as yours, being able to step away from the craziness that comes with an overwhelming crowd only makes it easier for us to join you later on.
Being comfortable is a big thing for socially awkward people, and the more comfortable they are in foreign situations, the easier it is for them to chill out and actually enjoy themselves.
I've also noticed that some zodiac signs are way more likely to be socially awkward if they are already more introspective and emotional.
Of course, Aquarius isn't really emotional about anything, so that sign, according to astrology, is socially awkward about a whole other set of reasons, as I said before.
But if you've ever read your horoscope and it said something along the lines of being more in touch with your feelings or being better on your own (instead of party girls Sagittarius and Aries), then you might be more likely to be socially awkward.
Of course, if you're like me, you already know you're socially awkward and don't need your zodiac sign to tell you that, but it's still pretty cool to know how your awkwardness shows, right?
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18)
Aquarius is probably one of the most socially awkward signs there is. She’s often caught between wanting to meet new people and engage them in probing topics and wanting to spend some quality time with herself.
This puts her in a tricky spot as she gets too caught up in her head to relax and have fun in large groups or at parties.
Aquarius is the type of person that can be described as an “ambivert” because sometimes she wants to be around a lot of people and other times she needs to recharge her batteries alone.
She has a lot going on her head that can be hard for her to separate, so she ends up being the awkward person in groups that really never has anything to say.
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GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Gemini gets too caught up in her thoughts and how she feels she needs to act around people (instead of just being herself) that people just think of her as naturally socially awkward.
If she didn’t try so hard, she might be able to relax — and can definitely do so when she’s around friends and family — but around strangers, she clams up.
There is a constant battle going on in Gemini’s mind that makes her bounce between wanting to be the mysterious girl that no one knows anything about and being the life of the party.
She is already great at communication, but for some reason, she can’t seem to translate that when meeting new people.
This inner battle of thoughts is often too much and Gemini ends up needing to remove herself from these situations.
RELATED: 13 Brutal Truths About Loving A Gemini (As Written By One)
CAPRICORN (Dec 20 - Jan 19)
Capricorn tends to keep to herself for one thing, but for another, she can let her criticism about herself and others get in the way of having a good time.
Her social awkwardness stems from both believing that she isn’t good enough to get to know new people and feeling like no one really likes her anyway.
This thinking can make her even more pessimistic, but what makes her socially awkward is trying to control that pessimism.
Of course, Capricorn is very expressive (meaning you can tell when she’s upset or isn’t having a good time), so when she starts acting like this, people automatically start keeping their distance from her.
Her biggest challenge is being able to turn off those thoughts, no matter how hard it is.
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VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22)
Virgo also gets caught in her head, but for a different reason than Capricorn.
While she can be pretty critical of herself, she tends to be socially awkward because she feels like people already have assumptions about her.
She worries that her friends tell others that she can be a little quirky or quiet, even if that never happens.
Virgo makes a lot of effort to include her friends and makes sure they know that they are important to her, but she doesn’t always feel like that’s reciprocated.
She might start convincing herself that she isn’t welcome at the party or in the group and start to blame herself for thinking she was.
It all sounds absurd (because it isn’t even true), but once Virgo gets in this mindset, it’s important for her friends to let her know she’s important.
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LIBRA (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
To anyone else it might not seem like confrontation, but to a Libra, being asked a hundred questions by strangers and having to open up about herself can be nerve-wracking and confrontational.
As a general rule of thumb, Libra tends to stay as far away from confrontation as possible, which means that she ends up being socially awkward if she clams up when people start asking her about herself.
She tries to balance her personality out by being a mix of outgoing and enigmatic, but it never ends up like that.
Instead, it almost always seems as though she isn’t interested in others getting to know her or getting to know others, which only makes her seem rude.
But when she tries to force herself out of her shell, it only backfires and makes her seem brusque and agitated. Not the balance Libra wants.
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cancer socially awkward zodiac signs according to astrology
For Cancer, meeting new people and putting herself in the middle of new situations can be overwhelming. She is a very “stay at home with my BFFs” kind of girl, so doing something totally out of the norm is a lot for her.
She definitely tries, though, so you can never say she doesn’t care about trying to fit in with your friends.
Her social awkwardness comes from a lot of different things bombarding her at once. Drinking games, people asking her questions, someone trying to have a conversation over loud music — it’s a lot.
You can tell she’s had enough when she starts looking really worn out, even if it’s only been an hour into the function.
All she needs is some quiet to herself before she can come back and enjoy people’s company.
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SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Scorpio seems like she would naturally be the life of the party, but the truth is she is much more talkative and comfortable when she is surrounded by her closest friends.
She knows that her friends would never judge her (and strangers probably wouldn’t, either), but she still likes the idea of keeping her social activity to an “inner circle” only type of thing.
Of course, alcohol is frequently something she can count on when she needs a little liquid courage, so when she’s at a party that starts to feel like a little too much for her, she knows that she can always loosen up with a drink or two.
She doesn’t rely on this method, of course, but she knows that everyone is friendlier when they’re a little more uninhibited (and drunk).
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PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
It might shock some people to hear this, but Pisces can make friends really easily.
She knows that all you need is a friendly face and a positive personality (two things she already has) and you’ve made yourself a friend!
She doesn’t often get socially awkward around new people simply because she is comfortable with the person she is.
She likes meeting new people, too, because she likes learning new things about people. This is more personal to her than meeting people over social media, so she likes having face-to-face interactions when she can.
Plus, she knows the more people she gets to know, the more she can talk about things that really interest her instead of having the same “get to know you” conversation over and over, which gets boring fast.
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TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20)
Taurus is a pretty social creature, but like Aquarius, she sometimes needs alone time to recharge her batteries.
That said, she loves being around people more than being alone because she finds it so interesting to learn more about people that aren’t her friends (yet).
She is also the type of person to make friends after half an hour of talking to someone, which is a gift not everyone has.
The only time Taurus really ever gets socially awkward is when she’s in a bad mood or when her friends drag her out even though she would rather go home and be lazy.
Then it feels like her conversation is a little stale and it can feel like she doesn’t really care what you have to say.
But every other time, she is down to chat it up all night with strangers.
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ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 19)
If you ever say that you’ve seen Aries act socially awkward, you’re probably lying. She is the type of person to brighten up any room she walks in and “socially awkward” is not a phrase she ever identifies with.
She might sometimes be too caught up in the fun she’s having with her friends to make great conversation with strangers, but she’s never awkward.
That said, she can easily make friends like Taurus can and you’ll often find her chatting someone up while she’s waiting at the bar for her drink or in line for the bathroom at a party.
This is her way of letting off steam after a long week at work — talking with pretty much everyone she comes in contact with — and there’s nothing awkward about it.
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 19)
Sagittarius loves having a good time and she will often go out of her way to do so. This can mean impromptu weekend trips and parties, but it can also mean meeting new people.
To Sagittarius, the best way to unwind is to let loose and have fun. She’ll be the one at the party to start a drinking game or tell you about an embarrassing moment she had just last week.
Sagittarius doesn’t ever feel socially awkward because to her, meeting new people and opening up to strangers is just a natural thing. She would much rather do that instead of closing herself off to new experiences.
Plus, she is comfortable with the person she is and knows that not everyone is going to like her anyway, so why try to change who she is?
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LEO (July 23 - Aug 22)
The most anti-socially awkward sign is definitely Leo. She is often the one people go to parties to see and hang out with, and her personality is flawless in pretty much every situation.
You’ll never see her stumbling over words or having problems articulating her thoughts. If you’re looking for someone to take notes from about how to not be socially awkward, Leo is your girl.
More than that, though, Leo truly loves being in the spotlight. She knows that she has a pull over people that not everyone has and she likes to use this pull to make new friends and connect with strangers.
She knows how to strike up a conversation with anyone and she never makes you feel weird if you ARE one of those socially awkward people who is just trying to get out of her shell and try something new.
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Emily Ratay is a full-time writer living in Pittsburgh. She's passionate about the environment and feminism, and knows that anything is possible in the right pair of shoes. She plans on writing a book in the future.