They have to adapt to society's social norms, but it's hard because their brains function a little bit differently.

他們必須適應社會規範，但這對他們來說很困難，因為他們大腦的運作有點不太一樣。

So why do humans feel awkwardness?

所以為何人類會覺得尷尬呢？

According to Ty Tashiro, author of the appropriately-titled book "Awkward," this is part of human evolution.

Ty Tashiro是書籍《尷尬的 》的作者，根據他的說法：尷尬是人類演化的一部份。

In hunter-gatherer times, sticking with social norms, like saying thank you when someone gives you something, or waiting your turn for food, was a way to keep tight-knit groups together and keep out anyone who might be a threat.

人類在狩獵採集時代會遵循社會規範，像是他人給予東西時會回以感謝、或者守規矩領取食物，這能有助於促進更緊密的群體關係，同時排除可能構成威脅的人。

Today, we're still sensitive to tiny, even silly social customs like responding to "how are you" with "fine" as a sign of mutual respect.

直到今日，我們對那些細微甚至愚蠢的社會風俗的反應依然相當敏銳，例如用「很好」來回覆「你好嗎」以表示互相尊重。

When you deviate from those norms, it's awkward.

當你偏離那些規範，就會顯得尷尬又怪異。

And for some people, these social graces just don't come naturally.

對某些人而言，他們就是無法自然地掌握這些社交禮儀。

Take eye contact, for example.

以眼神接觸為例。

Studies say the right amount of eye contact during conversations is about 3.3 seconds.

研究發現談話中適度的眼神接觸時間大約是 3.3 秒。

But awkward people don't instinctively do that.

但社交尷尬者本能上無法做到。

But when we don't look people in the eyes, it makes them feel socially ostracized.

可是當我們不直視對方時，會讓對方感覺有隔閡。

According to Tashiro's work, awkward people tend to look at other parts of the face, like the chin or the ear, more than the eyes.

根據 Tashiro 的研究，比起眼睛，社交尷尬者更傾向注視臉上其他部位，像是下巴或耳朵。

Therefore, they might end up alienating the person they're talking to, and missing out on important information about how that person might be feeling.

因此，他們最終可能與交談對象逐漸疏離，並錯過對方感受的重要訊息。

The good news is that if your brain isn't great at social cues, it might be good at other stuff instead.

好消息是如果你的大腦不那麼擅長解讀社交線索，它可能會善於其他方面。

Research shows that many autistic people are amazing at memory, pattern recognition, and problem solving.

研究顯示許多自閉症患者擅長記憶、圖像識別與問題解決。

Similarly, awkward people, Tashiro says, often have obsessive interests and talents.

相似地，Tashiro 認為社交尷尬者常擁有著會讓他們入迷的興趣和才能。

The biggest one is called the "rage to master," which comes from research on gifted kids.

最常見的一種被稱為「征服的強烈慾望」，這來自於對天才孩童的研究。

It means that awkward people will want to soak up everything they can about their field of interest.

它意味著社交尷尬者想要盡可能地汲取其興趣領域中的所有事物。

And they'll work at it for much longer than non-awkward people will.

而且他們會比非社交尷尬者投入更久的努力。

Only about 15 percent of the population is awkward, according to Tashiro.

據 Tashiro，大約只有 15% 的人為尷尬者。

But this issue of awkwardness will become increasingly important as we rely on artificial intelligence to interact with humans.

隨著我們依賴人工智慧來和人類互動，「尷尬」這個議題將變得愈來愈重要。

He writes that one of the biggest reasons people find robots off-putting is that they can't quite get social routines down.

Tashiro 在書中寫到，人們發現機器人不受歡迎的一大原因在於它們無法真正學會社交慣例。

They stand too close to people, or they interrupt at the wrong time.

例如它們靠人類太近，或在不恰當的時機打岔。

In other words, robots are awkward.

換句話說，這些機器人會讓人覺得很怪。

Robotics researchers are trying to overcome this by teaching the robots stories about human behavior and rewarding them whenever they act like a non-awkward human would.

機器人研究者試圖克服這項問題，他們教導機器人有關人類行為的故事，以及在它們表現得像個非尷尬者時給予獎勵。

In that way, the robots are like awkward people themselves, studying social interaction like a second language.

這種方式下，機器人其實就像那些社交尷尬者，他們都像學習第二語言一樣地努力理解社交互動。

But at least for now, awkward people still have an easier time mastering human interaction.

不過至少目前來說，尷尬者仍能較為輕鬆地掌握人際互動。

This is "You Are Here," a new series about the science behind everyday life.

這是You Are Here，一個講述人們日常生活背後的科學的新系列。

Let us know what topics you want us to explore in the comments.

在底下留言讓我們知道你想了解怎樣的主題。

I'm Olga Khazan, thank you for watching.

我是 Olga Khazan，感謝你的觀看。