Cringeworthy (Transworld Publ. Ltd UK)

Have you ever said goodbye to someone, only to discover that you\'re both walking in the same direction$344 Or had your next thought fly out of your brain in the middle of a presentation$345 Or accidentally liked an old photo on someone\'s Instagram or Facebook, thus revealing yourself to be a creepy social media stalker$346 Melissa Dahl, New York magazine\'s \"Science of Us\" editor, has experienced all of those awkward situations, and many more.

Now she offers a thoughtful, original take on what it really means to feel awkward. She invites you to follow her into all sorts of mortifying moments, drawing on personal experience and in-depth psychological research to answer questions you\'ve probably pondered at some point, such as: * Why are situations without clear rules most likely to turn awkward$347 * Are people really judging us as harshly as we think they are$348 * Does anyone ever truly outgrow their awkward teenage self$349 If you can learn to tolerate life\'s most awkward situations -- networking, difficult conversations, hearing the sound of your own terrible voice -- your awkwardness can be a secret weapon to making better, more memorable impressions.

When everyone else is pretending to have it under control, you can be a little braver and grow a little bigger.