How to Make a Person Feel Awkward

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 6, 2020 References

Awkwardness isn't something people usually want to have in their interactions with other people. However, it's not necessarily a negative emotion. The discomfort can be enjoyable, especially if you're making someone else feel it. Although making a friend feel awkward isn't going to earn you many points for being charming, creating awkward, uncomfortable situations can be a great source of fun for your mischievous side. Awkwardness can be contagious, so it's possible to make others feel awkward through being awkward yourself.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Expressing Awkwardness

1
Stare directly at the other person. Arguably the most common and simple way of making someone feel awkward is through staring. Staring is a very focused and longer-lasting sort of look and it makes people feel uneasy. Look directly at someone in the eyes, and hold your gaze. The longer you hold your look, the more awkward you'll make the other person feel.
- Staring can communicate a range of emotions. If you're smiling, for example, it may seem as if you're trying to flirt with that person. For the purpose of making someone feel awkward, however, you should keep your expression blank. A blank, neutral expression offers little explanation why you might be looking at that person, and the confusion will put your target on edge.
- It should be noted that continuous staring may make you feel uncomfortable as well. It's not a natural thing to do with someone you're unfamiliar with.
2
Act nervous.^{[1]
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Research source} Nervousness is the act of expressing worry and anxiety. This can be done by darting your eyes around and being fidgety. If people get the feeling that you're uneasy, the feeling will leap over to them as well. If you're a generally easy-going person, you'll have to make a conscious effort to be antsy. Don't sit still if you can help it. Body language is a great way to be awkward.

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3
Gross people out with bodily functions. Farting and burping are two of your trusty weapons if you're out to make situations awkward for people. These are especially good if you're in a relatively silent setting. That way, it will be difficult for people to brush aside the fact that you passed gas.
- This is especially effective if the person you're trying to make feel awkward is polite. If politeness is high on his agenda, it's possible he'll do his best to keep from embarrassing you. The more obvious your bodily function was, the more he'll probably squirm.
4
Get in the person's physical space. Even the most easy-going people have a personal bubble. Unless you're in a romantic partnership with someone, there's an unspoken understanding that you won't get in their way. Although the bubble is different for everybody, getting right in their faces has the ability to make anyone uneasy.
- Keep in mind this won't result in an enjoyable awkwardness for anyone. If someone is prone to anger, he won't take this privacy invasion lightly.
5
Leave a high-five unfinished.^{[2]
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Research source} Human beings like to rely on expectations to make their lives easier. If you offer something like a high-five, there's a general understanding that the high-five will be carried out. If you remove your hand as the other person reaches for yours, this will create a psychological discomfort. No one likes seeing things unfinished.
6
Spend a lot of time by yourself.^{[3]
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Research source} The best way to create awkwardness is to be sincerely awkward. People who spend significant amounts of time by themselves tend to develop their own odd habits that may be received awkwardly by others. This isn't advised if you're only planning on making someone feel awkward once. It's also not a good idea if you don't like being by yourself. However, awkwardness will come more naturally to you if you do.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Someone Feel Awkward Verbally

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Intentionally misread social cues. For most people, social cues are read and interpreted naturally, usually without even thinking about it. If you want to make another person feel awkward, you should make a conscious effort to read social cues. For every move you think you are expected to return, you should do the opposite. This simple trick will make just about any social interaction fall to pieces within minutes.
- For example, if someone tells a joke, you should respond by getting angry or sad. Even if you find the joke funny, withholding the expected reaction will almost certainly put the other person on edge.
2
Ask inappropriately controversial questions.^{[4]
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Research source} Inappropriate questions are usually avoided if someone has a solid understanding of social cues and norms. However, if you're aware of them and want to make someone feel awkward, you should go out of your way to bring up things people usually have a hard time talking about. Religion and politics are two things that can get under peoples' skin when they're brought up abruptly.
- Asking really personal stuff about someone's life can work as well, but it's not always recommended. Some people may be legitimately hurt if you say something that touches on a past traumatic experience.
3
Bloat your sentences with "filler" words.^{[5]
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Research source} Filler words are usually used by people without thinking as a way to fill in the pauses. Words like "like", "ahh" or "um" are used to give the brain time to catch up with what you're saying. Using these words will make you sound nervous and uneasy. This is a good thing if you're trying to make someone feel awkward. Work in an "um" in between or at the start of every other sentence.
- If you're already prone to this sort of filler, be aware of the ways you naturally use that language and make a point of emphasizing it wherever possible.
- If you regularly suffer from this problem without trying, you can train yourself out of it by slowing down how fast you talk.
4
Mispronounce and misremember people's names. It's generally considered very rude if you fail to remember someone's name. In most cases, you'll want to do your best to remember the names of the people you meet, but intentionally mispronouncing names of people you know will put an uncomfortable distance between the two of you.
- This only rally works on people you're not very close with. If you've known the person for a long time, he'll think you're being stupid.
5
Make a big deal of your slip-ups. Nervous, anxiety-prone people tend to make a big deal of whatever social errors they make in a situation. This can be replicated to your advantage if you're wanting to make someone uncomfortable.
- For example, if you accidentally bump into someone, repeatedly apologize to that person, and bring up the slip-up later on in the conversation after he's probably forgotten about it. This keeps the slip-ups fresh and makes them seem much bigger than they really are.
6
Bring attention to the awkwardness.^{[6]
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Research source} Awkwardness itself can become a cause for more awkwardness. If there's a period of silence or a stilted conversation, it's effective to bring up the feeling of awkwardness in conversation. Say something like "It's really awkward right now" and let the silence drag on. This puts a responsibility on the other person to keep a doomed conversation going, and he'll probably feel really uncomfortable in the process.
- On the flipside, bringing up the awkward feeling directly in conversation can actually be used to work through it. If someone is honest about it, there is often a release of tension on both sides.^{[7]
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  Research source} However, if you bring attention to the awkwardness and remain deadset on keeping it going, you'll be able to push it further.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Creating Awkward Situations

1
Gauge the norms of your environment.^{[8]
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Research source} Certain things that would be very awkward in one situation will get dismissed as normal in another. If you're looking for opportunities to stir the pot, consider the type of environment you're in. What is considered polite, and what could you do that would be seen as rude or awkward? For instance, a library values peace and quiet. Coughing loudly could create awkwardness on its own.
2
Give the situation sexual tension. If the possibility for sexual tension applies to whomever you're trying to make feel awkward, sexual tension is a great way to make everyone uncomfortable. This is especially true if neither of you have ever realistically seen each other that way before. Making flirtatious advances, such as staring and complimenting someone romantically ("You're so pretty," e.g.) will make things awkward quickly.
- If you choose to do this, remember to respect boundaries. Awkwardness can be fun, but you don't want to get a lasting reputation as a creep. Explicit threats and physical advances are a no-go. You could get into significant trouble if you're excessively physical with someone. If someone tells you to stop being sexual, you shouldn't test your luck with it.
3
Interrupt a conversation. Interrupting conversations is a common habit of rude, awkward people. You can jump into a conversation and begin talking about something else entirely, preferably loudly. The awkwardness will increase the larger the group conversation you hijack. For instance, if a group of people is talking about weekend plans, running into the centre and loudly professing your love for neoclassical minimalism will conjure awkwardness in everyone involved.
4
Sing along to music loudly. Awkwardness is derived from a failure to consider where other people are coming from. If you barge into a room singing music with headphones in, the environment will be disrupted. If you're hanging out with someone and are in a public place doing this, you'll make that person feel even more awkward for the association of being with you.
- It's preferable if the music itself is loud and obnoxious. Something like Madonna is preferable to Brian Eno or Phillip Glass.
5
Drop something on the ground. Physical slip-ups like tripping over or breaking something have great potential to ruin the momentum of a social situation. While it's easy enough to shrug off a situation like this, if you're going out of your way to be awkward, you can take advantage of the slip-up by dragging it out. If you drop something (like a drink), you should take a long time to clean it up. Make a big deal out of it. Apologize gratuitously.
- You get bonus points if the object you drop breaks.
6
Embarrass the person in a public situation. Awkwardness and embarrassment go hand-in-hand. If you're in a public situation, you can use the gazes of everyone around you against the person you want to make feel awkward. If you're sitting together at a table in a restaurant, make a scene. When everyone looks over, he will feel guilty by association and won't like the attention.
- Keep an eye out for physical signs of the person being embarrassed successfully. This includes the eyes being downward, and a reddening (blushing) of cheeks.^{[9]
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  Research source}

Community Q&A

Question

How do I make my friends that are dating feel awkward about their relationship?

Community Answer

Bring up things that are odd or question their bond. Ask things like: "So have you two done the nasty?", "you guys are a little close that's weird.", "Do you even love each other?". If they call each other a "cute" name like honey or sweetie, make fun of this the entire time. Repeat it a ton of times in weird ways and ask them why they call each other it and say that it's disgusting to you. Say that one is out of the other's league, it will make them uncomfortable. And so on...

Warnings

Making someone feel awkward can be easily misinterpreted as being flat-out mean. Make sure you're keeping your tricks harmless. At the end of the day, you don't want to create lasting friction between the two of you.

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