Brilliantly Shy & Awkward People Usually Have 6 Rare Personality Traits
carlesmiro / Shutterstock It's not particularly to be fun to be either shy or awkward. While you might understandably think both are learned aspects of who a person is, and that may sometimes be true, there are also some real biological factors that cause us to be more or less shy by nature.
People who are brilliantly awkward and shy often share other unique personality traits as well. Some of these characteristics were hard-wired in them from birth, while others were more likely developed as a result of the environment in which they grew up.
Brilliantly shy and awkward people often share these rare personality traits
1. Synthetic thinking
Brilliantly shy and awkward people usually spend a good amount of time on synthetic thinking, which Naira Velumyan, PhD, defines as "the ability to assess a situation from different (often incompatible) perspectives and combine them, actualizing new possibilities." They have to carefully consider all aspects of ideas to truly digest them. They can take in multiple pieces of information and piece them together, connecting their ideas and experiences and processing them simultaneously.
These people feel and learn at the same time, which helps them make creative connections other people wouldn’t think of. Their thinking style is so rare that many people won’t understand the connections they make, but they often end up being too shy to share their ideas with others anyway. This can make them feel awkward because they know there is something different about them, but their different thinking style helps them get a better understanding of things on a mental and physical level.
2. A reflective nature
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Some people don’t like to talk much because they're too busy thinking. People who are brilliant but still don’t speak a lot usually fall into this category. They're naturally reflective people who spend their time journaling or working through feelings rather than talking to friends about them. They do this all the time so they can understand what’s going on in all parts of their mind, even their subconscious.
While this can be useful, it may also make them awkward. When you think too critically about memories, you can start to hyperfixate on all the things you think you did wrong. Reflection is important, but these people do too much of it, and it makes them nervous. They’re too consumed with their thoughts to talk to people, even when they’re hanging out.
3. Insecure tendencies
People often come across as awkward because they’re feeling insecure. Brilliant people tend to experience this more than most because they're successful. They’re nervous about showing up as the smart person they're perceived to be.
High-achieving people are usually the ones who experience the most self-doubt. They’ll feel like they don’t deserve the reputation they’ve been given, and it makes them nervous about keeping up with that image. They’ll be shy and awkward because they’re afraid people will find out they’re not as smart as they actually are, even if that fear is unfounded.
4. Cognitively empathetic
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Not everyone has empathy for others, and even those who do don’t always experience it the same way. Emotional empathy is the trait people have when they experience people’s emotions with them, while cognitive empathy works differently.
People with cognitive empathy don’t have the same sentimental approach. They analyze someone’s emotions so they can fully understand them. Being sad when your friend is sad can be comforting, but it doesn’t really help them in a practical way. Someone who is cognitively empathetic will offer solutions more than they'll offer validation.
That kind of advice isn’t always going to be something people want, though. If they would prefer to be heard and don't feel ready to address the problem head-on, the advice may come across as awkward or inconsiderate, reinforcing a shy person's preference to stay under the radar.
5. Creativity
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Creativity doesn’t make someone smarter, but it does make their brains work more effectively. People who routinely engage in creative hobbies exercise their creativity, and it allows that trait to show up in different parts of their life.
They’ll have great problem-solving skills because they can think of unique solutions. Shy people tend to be creative because it gives them an outlet that they don’t get with other people. They’ll feel awkward expressing their ideas to others because they’re used to working through them in their own creative way.
They won’t know how to react to the basic ideas or solutions other people come up with, and that also makes them feel awkward. They know there’s a better way to do things because their creativity has helped make them more brilliant.
6. Secretiveness
Being secretive doesn’t necessarily mean that you try to keep things from other people. A shy person might just not be comfortable sharing their feelings. They feel awkward when they have to get vulnerable, so they prefer to work through things on their own.
Someone who regularly feels awkward may understandably want to be more secretive because past experiences of opening up only led to them feeling embarrassed and they don't want to be judged. They then start keeping parts of themselves hidden, except to their closest friends. People like this are great friends to have because it feels so special when they do finally confide in you.
Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.
