/sci/ - Science & Math

I wonder how much the social awkwardness comes from actual deficiency and how much from the fact that mathematicians in general have very different interests from other people and just stay silent out of politeness.

Because I know I've done that a lot. I've often observed how different I am when surrounded by different types of people. I don't think you get to judge how awkward a person is unless you are the same kind of person and have gotten intimate enough for them to share their interests, both intellectual and personal.

In fact that's such an obvious thing, sometimes people belong in very different worlds and see no need to chime in with an opinion on American Idols. Maybe there are mathematicians that have such broad interests, but mostly we don't, and we do not ask people to accommodate us with things we care about.