40 Extremely Awkward Situations That We Can All Relate To, As Shared In This Thread
There are so many things that separate and divide us—politics, religion, favorite flavors of ice cream—that it can sometimes seem impossible that human beings are capable of getting along at all! Society, suddenly, seems on the precipice of constantly breaking down. However, there is one thing that deeply unites humanity—awkward moments.
Hear me out. It’s those moments when you tell someone ‘hi’ without them saying anything back, having your stomach rumble in public, or forgetting an acquaintance’s name (it’s way too late to ask them now!) that truly gets all of us cringing in embarrassment. Reddit users have been sharing these super awkward situations that everyone can relate to in a viral thread, so we’ve picked out the best of the best for you to enjoy, dear Pandas. Upvote the awkward moments that you’ve been in and share your own in the comments.
Meanwhile, I reached out to Vanessa Bohns, an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Cornell University and the author of the forthcoming book 'You Have More Influence Than You Think,’ to learn more about the embarrassment that we feel in awkward situations and how's it's got its upsides. Check out her full interview with Bored Panda below, dear Pandas.
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When you start to tell a story in a group but in middle of sentence realize that no one is actually listening and ever so slowly you get quiet and hope no one took notice.
Whenever I see this happen, if possible I make eye contact/nod/show interest so they can finish their story to me. It's the whole 'treat others how you'd like to be treated' thing
When you've had multiple interactions with someone but you can't remember their name but it's gone too far to admit you've forgotten it so you just have to call them love or mate forever.
When you’re having a conversation with someone and you don’t hear what they say so you ask them to repeat and they do. But you still don’t hear it and ask them to repeat again and they do. And you still don’t know what they said. Do you ask them to repeat again (and maybe still not hear it)? Pretend you heard it and nod your head and hope it’s an appropriate response? Stab yourself in the eye with a pen to create a diversion and change the subject?
The last one lol. I often have to ask my dad to repeat himself because he is a mumbler, but he gets annoyed if you ask him to repeat more than once.
I feel your dad - I mumble and have speech issues. I try not to be offended when people ask, "what," but it's hard sometimes.
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'I'm sorry, could you say that one last time, but slower. I've been having a problem with my ear.' People can't get angry if you make it your fault.
My brother had to repeat it over and over. Wonnink, the surname of my sister, in the old days when you had to call for a phone number. Bannink? No Wonnink. Oh. Bannink? WONNINK! She said: sorry, looks like I have banana's in my ears.
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I apologize and ask for the person to say it again with different words because my brain isn't translating it right. Alternatively (if my relationship with the speaker is good), I repeat the nonsense words I think I heard.
I am a tad hard of hearing and have been for a long time. People also often start loud and then get quieter towards the end of their comment. So I'm usually missing the last bit and heard the first part. Over time I learned to not say "what?" or "huh?" because folks will just do the same loud then quiet thing over and over. Instead I say "can you repeat that last bit please" it's much more effective.
Happens all the time where I work. Loud machines and masks so you can't try to read lips.
my best friend does this he says what? when he clearly heard me and then I look like a doofus because I have to repeat myself
My dad always did that too!! I only ever got him with it once or twice.
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I either speak too quietly or all my friends are deaf - they never know what I'm saying.
I am a bit of a mumbler with a very deep voice, I'm sure people have done this to me many time, as I have to other people.
If at all possible, watch the speaker's mouth move, their gestures, and the emotion they're physically expressing. It helps you hear what they're saying.
"I'm sorry, did you say ..." Then say what you thought you heard. "Did you mean ..." with your rewording. "Could you say that in a different way?" Or "with different words?" My roomie wears two powerful aids, has his good ear facing me, but sometimes he can't hear me well and he gets frustrated. I have to be sure to face him, speak clearly, shorter sentences. He often guesses at what I said and is often way off or near misses (similar sounds) for humorous results.
I am deaf in one ear - and I do this regularly... shake my head and say "yep". hopefully I didn't agree to sell them my kids.
I usually go with "sorry I'm going deaf, say it one more time a bit louder" and then maybe also move a bit closer
I just apologise and say to them that I am slightly deaf and could they enunciate and talk louder please
This hits close to home. At school we have to wear masks, and one of my friends talks very quietly. The masks make it so I can’t see her mouth moving and it makes her even quieter. I usually ask her to repeat 2-3 times before she either says “never mind” or I just pretend I know what she said
Oh this one happens to me often with my cousin! She's deaf, but she has a cochlear implant so she can hear, and when we talk, sometimes I don't understand her deaf voice even if I really focus on what she's saying, so whenever we have those types of awkward situations we laugh it off and try again. I can usually understand her pretty well though.
A friend whom I've known for 30 years comes by my place about once a year. Last year, there was something so weirdly awkward about our conversation, like his not answering questions, that I was shocked when he phoned an hour later, right after returning home, and we chatted along amiably, as we had always done. Turns out he's going deaf and his cheap hearing aid causes more problems than it solves because it prevents him from hearing his own voice. The telephone, on the other hand, can be adjusted to respond to his needs. Just lost a friend and he's still alive!!
This is one of the reasons I don't socialise much (offline :). When I am dissociative I try hard to understand what is being said, but I just can't. So embarrassing.
80% deaf in my right ear, it turns out. i....really? i kinda...ach ach errrrrr (facial expressions) whaaaaaaaa?
I carry a pen for just such an occasion. I buy the cheap ones. In bulk.
Last one definitely (without the eye stabbing part). Just change the subject and pretend the previous conversation did not happen at all.
Don't hear it or don't understand it? Might consider getting your ears checked.
I couldn't understand and international student with a think accent one time while I was working my campus job. It's been over a decade and I still cringe...
I pretend to know what they said and then they bring up a subject related to that and I just sit there being awkward
Pretend you heard it and nod your head and hope it’s an appropriate response
I always say, can we afford it?, to my GF. She could be telling me the weather.
I just smile and pretend. Of course, that just makes me feel a bit more like a doofus.😅
I pretend i heard them for the when they repeat for the 3rd time when actually i didnt. Lol!
Ha. I can really obnoxiously ask mumblers to repeat endlessly. It’s a pet peeve. I hate having to „guessume“ what I might’ve heard. And I tell others to speak up and speak clearly, please. If they don’t, it irritates me NO END. A European feat, supposedly. Americans seem to find being blunt very hard.
Vanessa, from Cornell University, actually had some good news for us—being embarrassed (and not hiding it!) can actually help us connect with people much better. Hopefully, it’ll convince you to embrace blushing, feeling embarrassed, and being in awkward situations.
“Displaying signs of mild embarrassment can actually be socially constructive and make people feel more sympathetic towards you in the face of your faux pas,” Vanessa told Bored Panda that embarrassment (arising from whatever social situation we might be in) can actually be the perfect opportunity to strengthen your relationship to the people around you.
Seasonal allergies during Covid-19.
Or asthma/copd ^-^ i get dirty looks from ppl when i cough (I'm wearing a mask, it's not covid!)
When you try to contribute to a conversation and someone cuts you off multiple times.
When you're next in line at the grocery store with your mom and she leaves you to "just get one more thing" and the anxiety and awkwardness builds because you're up and she's nowhere to be found.
“I don’t necessarily think you need to take pains to hide it,” the expert added that we ought to avoid running away from our embarrassment or pretending that you’re not feeling like you’re feeling. If we avoid these feelings, our social capital is likely to crash.
Meanwhile, embracing the awkwardness, embarrassment, and cringe tends to make us more accepted by others because they value our honesty.
Standing there while two people talk about something you don't know about.
Oh, geez. You stand there and smile, until you remember a good excuse to excuse yourself.
When you think someone waves at you so you wave back, but they were waving at someone behind you.
Walking through a doorway only to catch your clothes on the handle and have it slingshot you backwards.
However, there is something that we should be aware of and that’s not letting our embarrassment turn to shame. A healthy dose of blushing and awkward mumbling is fine, but deep-seated shame is problematic in the long run.
“What you want to be careful not to do is to let embarrassment morph into the more destructive self-conscious emotion of shame, where you feel so badly about a minor mistake that you start to think there is something wrong with you and feel the need to completely disappear and hide away yourself,” Vanessa said to Bored Panda.
So go on, dear Readers! Go get yourself stuck in awkward situations. Feel the full burn of embarrassment and get closer to other people. Just remember not to let shame overtake you, ever.
When you're walking on a sidewalk with 2 other friends and you're the person that does not fit so you have to stay behind them.
When you swallow water wrong and it turns to a coughing fit in 2020.
You ever clogged a toilet in somewhere that wasn't your house.
When we were doing treks in the jungle, at base camp they had some super expensive eco toilet that does everything a sewage works does in one unit. My wife got really ill and singlehandedly destroyed the thing. Because she's such a shy introvert when she told me I went straight in there, waited around half an hour, came out and declared to the camp 'I've busted the shitter!'
Having “happy birthday” sung to you.
This! I find it really super, super awkward having happy birthday or something else sung to me and I always tell this very openly. However, people (especially my choir, as you can imagine) INSIST on doing so nonetheless - because, hey, it is my birthday and that is the custom. Yes, it is my birthday - shouldn't you, maybe, do something nice for me? Not something I really dislike very very much? What is the point in this, do people enjoy it so much making the birthday girl feel uncomfortable?
When you're walking and almost trip for no reason and look back at the invisible stick that you tripped on.
When you walk out of the store empty handed, feeling like you've just stole something.
When you’re saying goodbye to someone, and then you both end up walking in the same direction.
Or when you turn and walk into a wall with people watching.
With the second one, that's when I start making fun of myself to alleviate the humiliation.
Farting while coughing or sneezing.
Just wait till you get older and peeing while coughing or sneezing becomes a thing. That is worse
Saying “hello” or “how are you” to somebody and getting 100% ignored.
When someone sits beside you in metro or bus when there are hundreds of seats available.
Having your stomach rumble in the middle of a quiet class/meeting.
I would say something like "come on, stomach, don't embarrass me like that" and hope they will laugh
When you're finishing up at the checkout and the cashier puts the notes on top of the receipt and then coins on top of that. Then the next person steps up and you're fumbling, trying to disassemble the stack in your hand, gather your shopping, say thanks and move away at the same time.
When you're walking behind someone that has a slightly slower pace than you, so you start to pass them, but then have that awkward moment when you're walking next to them before you cut in front of them.
It's more than just awkward when you're going for a walk in the woods and you're a guy walking behind a slightly slower female. Scary for her, uncomfortable for me. I usually jog past her to get it over with as quickly as possible and say something friendly when I pass her. Still. Uncomfortable. 😬
When you hold the door for someone but realize that they're actually kinda far away so they have to do the awkward skipping thing and you feel awful.
When you reply to a stranger who says hello, but then realize they were on the phone and not speaking to you. Happened to me just yesterday and I didn't get any sleep last night as I couldn't stop reliving the moment.
I'm guilty of doing this on purpose and even continuing part of the discussion until I can't follow anymore (get into specifics) but I do it quietly so I don't get heard... Silly I know, but it is what it is...
Not hearing what the other person said, so you just nod and smile, praying it wasn't a question.
When you're walking past coworker and you've already said hello earlier. Everyone's making that weird flat smile.
Coming out of a public toilet after laying a beast and there is someone waiting to go in the cubicle.
Oh yeah-or leaving a cubicle that was filthy before you got there and someone is about to go in behind you...
When you run out of things to say during a conversation and you’re not quite sure how to end it.
When someone says words incorrectly like "expecially" but it's rude to correct them because they're a stranger, or your boss, or your new girlfriend's/boyfriend's parents... but you're dying inside.
I listen out to hear if there's a pattern. If you've never met them before, it's possible their mispronunciation is the result of a speech impediment, so I try to reserve judgement until I know whether they genuinely don't know the word, or they cannot wrap their mouth around S and X separately.
When you start a story and it gets interrupted a bunch of times so that what was an amazing story with a kicka*s finish/punchline is instead just a waste of time now.
Being at a friends house as a kid and the friend's mother starts yelling at your friend.
Being at a friends house as a kid and the friend's father walks in only wearing underwear.
I guess the other way around would be even more awkward (with the father yelling and the mother walking in...)
Someone showing everyone in the group something on their phone and waiting until it is your turn.
Being expected to make polite conversation while having a gynecological exam. There you are, p*ssy exposed, legs spread wide, someone is stuffing something up your vagina, and you are expected to be able to talk about the weather.
One thing I've learned is that there are good times and bad times for small talk with patients. This is defiantly a bad time.
Card declining.
The big dramatic pause while it decides if it accepts or declines feels like forever, regardless of my balance
Go to wash your hands and the water comes out at a thousand miles an hour, splashing your crotch. You are of course, at work.
When you're home alone, so you take a poop with the door open. Then you suddenly hear the front door of the house open...
If the front door of our house is opening then it's either hubby or the kids so not a big deal.
Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
When you're going through customs after being on a plane and you're pretty sure you didn't pack away £3million of cocaine, but you're s**t scared in case somehow you may of!
or when they ask you if your shoes have dirt on them. "Well, yeah. I wore my shoes, and, yea, it rained, so obviously there's mud somewhere in the tread."
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When you're walking down the street and come to a corner, ad you see a car coming, too, and it's just far enough away you MIGHT be able to cross in time but it's also kinda moving fast and you can't be sure they'll stop for you, so you stand there pretending to be busy on your phone until they pass--and then like six more cars appear out of nowhere so you keep standing there pretending to be too busy to cross still until all of them are gone.
Frequently happens when trying to get to your car in the parking lot. You feel like when you step out of the store, the drivers of the cars in the lot are saying "Let the games begin! First pedestrian is worth 50 points!!!"
Load More Replies... When you're in a public restroom stall that has a broken lock and someone walks in the restroom. You have to do "let's keep the door closed" Yoga and stretch a hand out to stop them coming in or you just pray they see your feet in time before pushing the door open. And when they realize their mistake and say "Oops, sorry." Why do we always respond with "That's ok."
When mid walk you realise you're going the wrong way. So you look down at your phone as though someone has just messaged you a new location so that it is acceptable for you to turn around.
This is me going for my car in a parking lot. Ok, I was in the store 3 minutes, but still can't remember where I parked!
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When every single time you're at a restaurant you have a mouthful of food and the waiter/waitress comes and asks you how your meal is. Then not wanting to talk with a full mouth you're forced to smile and offer a thumbs up in response. This used to happen to my husband, without fail, every single time we went out to eat. Lol
When you’re the third wheel because your friend invited her boyfriend and you’re stuck sitting awkwardly at a table while they snuggle and talk together and you can’t leave because you can’t drive yet.
That's so dumb. Why do they do that? A friend wanted to show her fiance. My goodness. We went for a walk. I walked behind em with my kid in a stroller. Why do you even come over? Or they look at their watch all the time, cause they have exactly one hour for you. You don't have to visit me.
Load More Replies... It's nice to know that i'm not the only awkward and clumsy person here 😁
When someone comes out of the changing rooms and their hair piece has moved too far to the left, because of their covid mask getting snagged on it!
When you're commenting on Bored panda but you type faster than it can process and it says "slow down you're commenting too fast" ummm listen, it's not my problem I can type faster than you can process, don't judge me!
Asking a pregnant woman when she is due and she says she had her baby 5 months ago.
never ask... just don't. I have a large tum and always have. It may be mean but if someone asks me when I'm due I say "I'm not pregnant, just fat" it's meant to be rude because it's rude to ask.
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So farting and repeating yourself seemed to be the top two contenders here, by the way they were reworded oodles of different ways. 🤣
When you're grocery shopping and grab a bag of rice only to find the bag is slit open and it dumps all over the floor immediately. This just happened to me today lol. I walked away. Shhhh.
My mom laughed at the person who had trailed sugar all over the grocery store from the ripped bag in their cart. When she had to go back to an aisle she had already been in, she realized SHE was the person trailing sugar all over the grocery store.
Load More Replies... 1 recounting an event to someone then realizing half way through man this is probably not all that interesting and having to finish it but you can't just quit awkwardly. 2. Getting on to a child for misbehaving and having a random stranger look at you funny because they share a name with your child.
When you type an email or text slagging someone off and because that person is in your mind, you accidently send it to them....
When you're out with your partner, and you run into their (serious) ex, and they feel the need to catch up. Yes, I do it too; everybody does this, of course, there's a history. But if you're the 'new' partner, you just stand there knowing that the other person knows everything that you know about your partner, and probably more, and certainly before you did. And the other way around, if you're the partner running into their ex, it's awkward as well, because you don't want to be rude to the ex, but you also want to be careful with what you have now. And if you're the ex, it's awkward too, because this new person now has your place with the person you're talking to. Awkwardness all around...
An ex is an ex - no need to stand around and catch up. Unless they are the parent to your child there's really no reason to.
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Something that only pandas who play tennis will get is when you're playing on one side of the court with another person next to you and when the ball goes in the middle either your rackets bump or neither of you hit the ball at all, it's so annoying.
Once clogged the toilet at my bfs grandmas house. I found a plunger but the thing was so old that it broke as soon as I tried to use it. I completely panicked and kind of just left and hoped no one would notice. That night, at like 3am, we hear a commotion. The whole house ended up waking up because someone tried to use the bathroom and the toilet was clogged. My bfs dad had to run to the store at 3am to buy a new plunger 😳🙈
making a sound accidentally with your mouth that sounds like a fart but if you explain it sounds like your overreacting but if you dont everyone thinks you farted
Do not worry, guys. My experience tells me you forget about those akward moments as you get older. You loose your shame to be yourself, and behave naturally. So strange moments do vanish, replaced by natural reactions and behaviour. You will be allright in a few years time.
Being in a crowd and talking to the person next to you who you think is a close friend or family member, but when you turn to them you realize they're a complete stranger. I remember having this happen to me as a young child. The worst is when I addressed them as "Mommy" or "Daddy".
Walking down the sidewalk by yourself and someone is walking alone coming towards you. Do you make eye contact, do you purposely look away, do you grab your phone for a fake call? The stress for those few seconds! Why do I care about being rude to someone I don’t even know when logically I know I won’t even think about it 5 seconds later?
Leaving the food for stray dog or cat only to be ignored and animal just sniffs and leaves. I felt like everyone saw that.
If these things haunt you forever, I would recommend the podcast Adrift...it's a bit rambling but essentially two socially awkward extroverted-introverts moan about all the things that haunt them and offer advise to the listeners for how to act in these situations. The advice is always bad and often has me in stiches.
When you're going through customs after being on a plane and you're pretty sure you didn't pack away £3million of cocaine, but you're s**t scared in case somehow you may of!
or when they ask you if your shoes have dirt on them. "Well, yeah. I wore my shoes, and, yea, it rained, so obviously there's mud somewhere in the tread."
Load More Replies... When you're walking down the street and come to a corner, ad you see a car coming, too, and it's just far enough away you MIGHT be able to cross in time but it's also kinda moving fast and you can't be sure they'll stop for you, so you stand there pretending to be busy on your phone until they pass--and then like six more cars appear out of nowhere so you keep standing there pretending to be too busy to cross still until all of them are gone.
Frequently happens when trying to get to your car in the parking lot. You feel like when you step out of the store, the drivers of the cars in the lot are saying "Let the games begin! First pedestrian is worth 50 points!!!"
Load More Replies... When you're in a public restroom stall that has a broken lock and someone walks in the restroom. You have to do "let's keep the door closed" Yoga and stretch a hand out to stop them coming in or you just pray they see your feet in time before pushing the door open. And when they realize their mistake and say "Oops, sorry." Why do we always respond with "That's ok."
When mid walk you realise you're going the wrong way. So you look down at your phone as though someone has just messaged you a new location so that it is acceptable for you to turn around.
This is me going for my car in a parking lot. Ok, I was in the store 3 minutes, but still can't remember where I parked!
Load More Replies... When every single time you're at a restaurant you have a mouthful of food and the waiter/waitress comes and asks you how your meal is. Then not wanting to talk with a full mouth you're forced to smile and offer a thumbs up in response. This used to happen to my husband, without fail, every single time we went out to eat. Lol
When you’re the third wheel because your friend invited her boyfriend and you’re stuck sitting awkwardly at a table while they snuggle and talk together and you can’t leave because you can’t drive yet.
That's so dumb. Why do they do that? A friend wanted to show her fiance. My goodness. We went for a walk. I walked behind em with my kid in a stroller. Why do you even come over? Or they look at their watch all the time, cause they have exactly one hour for you. You don't have to visit me.
Load More Replies... It's nice to know that i'm not the only awkward and clumsy person here 😁
When someone comes out of the changing rooms and their hair piece has moved too far to the left, because of their covid mask getting snagged on it!
When you're commenting on Bored panda but you type faster than it can process and it says "slow down you're commenting too fast" ummm listen, it's not my problem I can type faster than you can process, don't judge me!
Asking a pregnant woman when she is due and she says she had her baby 5 months ago.
never ask... just don't. I have a large tum and always have. It may be mean but if someone asks me when I'm due I say "I'm not pregnant, just fat" it's meant to be rude because it's rude to ask.
Load More Replies... So farting and repeating yourself seemed to be the top two contenders here, by the way they were reworded oodles of different ways. 🤣
When you're grocery shopping and grab a bag of rice only to find the bag is slit open and it dumps all over the floor immediately. This just happened to me today lol. I walked away. Shhhh.
My mom laughed at the person who had trailed sugar all over the grocery store from the ripped bag in their cart. When she had to go back to an aisle she had already been in, she realized SHE was the person trailing sugar all over the grocery store.
Load More Replies... 1 recounting an event to someone then realizing half way through man this is probably not all that interesting and having to finish it but you can't just quit awkwardly. 2. Getting on to a child for misbehaving and having a random stranger look at you funny because they share a name with your child.
When you type an email or text slagging someone off and because that person is in your mind, you accidently send it to them....
When you're out with your partner, and you run into their (serious) ex, and they feel the need to catch up. Yes, I do it too; everybody does this, of course, there's a history. But if you're the 'new' partner, you just stand there knowing that the other person knows everything that you know about your partner, and probably more, and certainly before you did. And the other way around, if you're the partner running into their ex, it's awkward as well, because you don't want to be rude to the ex, but you also want to be careful with what you have now. And if you're the ex, it's awkward too, because this new person now has your place with the person you're talking to. Awkwardness all around...
An ex is an ex - no need to stand around and catch up. Unless they are the parent to your child there's really no reason to.
Load More Replies... Something that only pandas who play tennis will get is when you're playing on one side of the court with another person next to you and when the ball goes in the middle either your rackets bump or neither of you hit the ball at all, it's so annoying.
Once clogged the toilet at my bfs grandmas house. I found a plunger but the thing was so old that it broke as soon as I tried to use it. I completely panicked and kind of just left and hoped no one would notice. That night, at like 3am, we hear a commotion. The whole house ended up waking up because someone tried to use the bathroom and the toilet was clogged. My bfs dad had to run to the store at 3am to buy a new plunger 😳🙈
making a sound accidentally with your mouth that sounds like a fart but if you explain it sounds like your overreacting but if you dont everyone thinks you farted
Do not worry, guys. My experience tells me you forget about those akward moments as you get older. You loose your shame to be yourself, and behave naturally. So strange moments do vanish, replaced by natural reactions and behaviour. You will be allright in a few years time.
Being in a crowd and talking to the person next to you who you think is a close friend or family member, but when you turn to them you realize they're a complete stranger. I remember having this happen to me as a young child. The worst is when I addressed them as "Mommy" or "Daddy".
Walking down the sidewalk by yourself and someone is walking alone coming towards you. Do you make eye contact, do you purposely look away, do you grab your phone for a fake call? The stress for those few seconds! Why do I care about being rude to someone I don’t even know when logically I know I won’t even think about it 5 seconds later?
Leaving the food for stray dog or cat only to be ignored and animal just sniffs and leaves. I felt like everyone saw that.
If these things haunt you forever, I would recommend the podcast Adrift...it's a bit rambling but essentially two socially awkward extroverted-introverts moan about all the things that haunt them and offer advise to the listeners for how to act in these situations. The advice is always bad and often has me in stiches.
