What’s so awkward about an awkward silence?

What’s so awkward about an awkward silence?

What is it about lulls in conversation that make them so very uncomfortable? It has to do with how we connect with each other

Silence makes us desperate. But why?

It's not silence itself that is awkward (or not). The capacity of silences to be awkward or comfortable is set against our efforts to connect with and understand other people, to be seen by others in the way we wish to be seen, and to be accepted. Running through all the aspects of awkward silence we've explored here is a common thread of anxiety about how well we're engaging in connection and understanding with the people we interact with. In a…