Dr. Ty Tashiro

In “Awkward,” Dr. Ty Tashiro explains the psychological roots of social awkwardness, and he shows why the same traits that make us socially anxious and cause embarrassing faux pas also provide the seeds for extraordinary success.

​While modern social life can make even the best of us feel gawky, for roughly one in five of us, navigating its challenges is consistently overwhelming—an ongoing maze without an exit.

​Psychologist and interpersonal relationship expert Tashiro unpacks decades of research from child development, neuroscience, personality, and sociology to help us better understand this widely shared trait. He explores its genetic vs. environmental origins, considers how the awkward view the world, and delivers a welcome counterintuitive message: the same characteristics that make people socially clumsy can be harnessed to produce remarkable achievements.

​As a Chief Science Officer, Ty has developed psychometric strategies for online dating apps and artificial intelligence strategies for therapy platforms. He has also led research and development for social responsibility initiatives. He received his PhD in psychology from the University of Minnesota and has taught at the University of Maryland and the University of Colorado.