“Madness is a rare thing in individuals but in groups, parties, peoples, and ages it is the rule.” German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

Being called weird can have many different meanings, but generally in a social context it marks you out as being different from the norm. In fact, when assessing who is ‘weird’ or not depends entirely one one’s perception of what is normal.

So in a way one could assert that ‘weirdness (like beauty) is in the eye of the beholder’. It all depends upon the values applied by the person offering the opinion.

Always keep in mind that WEIRDNESS IS SUBJECTIVE, and that like most things, there is POWER IN NUMBERS.

Sometimes what is considered weird behavior does not seem so strange if you exercise your empathy skills and try to put yourself in the shoes of the person who has been categorized as weird.

The fact that you are a gentleman amongst a group of louts would make your demeanor and behavior appear to be weird to the louts, so another factor of weirdness is how many other people are actually showing the same behavior.
Doing something in one society may be considered perfectly acceptable, whereas doing it in another may be taboo.

What may be CONSIDERED NORMAL for a Certain Group of People may be Outrageously Weird for another, So ACT Accordingly.

A good example of this is in the Middle East, where showing the sole of one’s foot to others when seated is considered extremely rude. The same behavior in California on the beach would be thought of as normal.

It is safe to say that odd beliefs and behaviour of those considered ‘weird’ is just another part of life’s rich interwoven fabric.

Follow these tips to ensure that your weirdness is minimized and that you appear to fit in, and watch your social value vault you into the social elite…

The Label ‘Weird’ is Founded on Psychological Assumptions and is Different For Every Society, Time, and Person Making The Judgment.

For many years there has been an ongoing discussion in psychiatry about how much social perceptions influence those who are considered ‘clinically disordered’.

Those who are afflicted with mental illness are lumped together into the group of “mentally ill” when it is rare to hear about those who are physically ill being referred to in the same way. When was the last time you read about a group of people who were ‘physically ill’?

Keep in mind that There is No Universal Description For A ‘WEIRDO’ because the Label ‘Weird’ Depends On The Speaker.

It seems fairly straightforward to assume then that mental illness and weirdness are not obvious open and shut cases. There are many variables and social norms that play their role in deciding which is which.

Sometimes the social construct of labelling someone weird is used to put distance between the person considered weird and the other person making the assessment.

Most People Deem As Weird Those Who Do Not Conform To Generally Accepted Behaviour, Rules, Habits, and Interests.

If you do not fit into the social stereotype of the current ‘norm’ in your society, then you will doubtless be categorized by some as being ‘weird’. Some people are just born weird and others become weird over time, in response to outside influences.

As an example, if in a world addicted to football you absolutely hate it, then you could be considered weird. If most people were addicted to following natural history programs on PBS and you love the same thing, then you would be perceived as perfectly normal.

So if you are called weird, or odd, peculiar or unusual, don’t worry about it. Take it in context and put it into perspective to give you some insight into why this person has made this categorization of you.

Every Casanova- or Don Juan-Wannabe should Be Aware that those Who Spend Less Time Interacting With Others In Person may also be Labelled As Weird.

There is another kind of weirdness which is a mix between you liking things others don’t like (as above) combined with your preference for your own company and you perceiving yourself as not getting along well with most people.

If you are a computer nerd, and your life is online, then you are cut off from real people and real life to a high degree and then it is highly likely that you will develop foibles and traits that are different from other people’s behaviour.

Other people who are used to interacting on a social level moderate their weirdness by sticking to social norms and etiquette that stops their behaviour from becoming anything but the socially accepted norm.

Living in a world you created yourself on your laptop will definitely make your social interaction hard, and mark you out as peculiar or unusual to those who are used to socializing.

What Seems Extremely Hilarious to A Person may be Totally Gross and Out Of Context For Another, so Choose Your Jokes Wisely.

There are as many types of humor as there are types of people, and if you know your own particular brand of humor can be slightly off, or be perceived as bizarre, then you had better make sure that you edit any jokes which you think are hilarious when presenting them to the social group you are trying to become part of.

Even though some of the group may laugh at your weird jokes, you cannot tell whether they are just being kind and humoring you, or whether they really do share your weird type of humor.

For the sake of increasing your social value, then to be on the safe side, make sure you censor any odd jokes, no matter how funny you think they are. If the group are forming negative impressions from your peculiar jokes, then that is working against you, and you need to modify the behavior to fit in.

Creating a bad impression in the minds of the social group is not a good idea and is simply not worth the occasional laugh that you may get.

There is A Fine Line that Separates Childishness from Being Youthful, and One Has To Be Careful Not To Cross It.

Several people I can think of who are socially categorized as being strange or weird all share another trait, and that is of being consistently immature. Letting your hair down and having fun occasionally is quite a different thing to behaving in an immature manner all the time.

Comedians can sometimes pull this off, but if you recognize this trait in yourself, then try to restrain it. It is unappealing to many people and the last thing you want to do is to ’shoot yourself in the foot’ and ruin your chances of fitting in socially and being considered a valuable member of a social group.

The Creed ‘When In Rome, Do As Romans Do’ Work in Social Gatherings and not just in terms of travelling or country settings.

When you are interacting as part of a group, don’t isolate yourself and do something that amuses you and not the rest of the people you are with.

You may know what you mean when you make some peculiar remark about the sound system, but the others may not be on your wavelength at all, and you could come over as being bizarre and weird.

This is one of the downsides of living in your own little world. What may seem hilarious to you will just come over as odd or strange to the rest of the group. So don’t allow yourself to fall into this trap if you want your social prowess to skyrocket.

Refrain yourself From Making Inappropriate Interjections in order to Avoid Ruining Both the Conversation and Your Established Don Juan Reputation.

If you have interests and beliefs that are outside of what is considered the norm, and you pursue those interests, then it stands to reason that your mind is going to be loaded down with weird and unusual ideas.

Those are not the sort of things which normal people are going to relate to in general conversations. For example, if you are in a group discussing Thai cuisine and you drop into the conversation that you ate rat at a street food stall and were sick for three weeks, that would not be the kind of thing others would expect to hear on the subject of Thai cooking.

It may seem perfectly suitable to you, but on some level, you will know when a piece of your unusual or peculiar knowledge is likely to surface in general chat, and you should try to contain it. Appearing weird is not conducive to elevating your social value.

Most of the time, particularly if you haven’t gone out the past few months, it is best to keep one’s mouth shut.

If you believe in something that would seem strange to the group you are with, then simply avoid mentioning it. Declaring that you believe in alien abductions and describing when you were kidnapped is not a good idea in this scenario, no matter how much you believe it.

You will come off as completely bizarre and odd and probably not be included in future social events. Not that there is anything wrong intrinsically with having different beliefs and opinions to the masses. That is entirely your prerogative. Just don’t force your opinion on things that seem obscure or offbeat down the throats of your friends.

Another possibility is that spending too much time alone has given you the time to over-think certain subjects, coming up with your own particular beliefs and ideas. These observations rarely fit in with that of the crowd so if you are thinking of saying something about one of your wacky ideas, keep it to yourself if you want to be included and raise your social status.

While It Is Good to Spend Some Time Alone every now and then, Doing So When You’re With People Is A Definite NO-NO.

Many people are loners. They are happiest in their own company, and prefer being alone. They can pursue their own thoughts, their own ideas and their own interests.

The downside is that spending too much time by yourself can make you even weirder. You have no touchstone or guidelines to follow because you are only conversing with yourself.

Many people need some alone time and there is nothing wrong with that. But make sure you don’t slip into the category of being considered a loner by looking as though you would rather be alone when in a crowd you are trying to be a part of.

Relate To People Naturally Whenever You Are OUTDOORS; remember there is Time to Be Alone and That Time Is NOT NOW!

To people who are naturally gregarious and outgoing, people who look as though they would rather be alone come over as suspicious. They simply don’t understand the need for some people to be alone, even for a short time.

So rather than explain in great detail, simply make sure that you act as a part of the group when you are out socially if you want to develop your social prowess to the max and make new friends.

All Social Gatherings REQUIRE A Certain Degree of CONFORMITY and Fitting In with The Crowd.

You may just be shy and reserved and not be used to interacting socially and are just making your first forays into the social jungle. But this can come over as being weird to others.

The general rule when with a group of people is to fit in, to assume the norm, and to become part of the group.

If they expect you to come to the opera dressed in appropriate attire and you turn up in jeans and a tee shirt, then you may be lucky and just be thought of as mildly eccentric, or you could be unfortunate and be thought of as extremely strange.

As with many other things, Practice Makes Perfect Your Art of Socialization, So Make Sure You Spend Enough Time Socializing.

If this scenario sounds familiar to you, don’t give up. The more you socialize, the more you will learn all the social etiquette and ways to behave amongst social groups, which will make you fit in perfectly and even increase you social diary to the point where you cannot cram in another date.

Although it may be hard to visualize it now, after you have been immersing yourself in the social scene for a month or two, you will be comfortable in all types of social situations and not fall prey to being considered weird by anyone.

The mere fact of getting out into social situations more will tend to give you the look of social polish. How long it takes is determined by how fast you learn, and how much you want to increase your social prowess. It is a goal well worth achieving and one that is within your reach – all you have to do is put some genuine effort in to get out a stellar social life crammed with interesting people and places to go.