5 More Prepackaged Responses to the Question "Why Are You So Quiet?"
I've been getting asked "Why are you so quiet?" since I can remember, so I was interested in the Thought Catalogue article Prepackaged responses to the question "Why are you so quiet?" but I found the responses pretty inadequate. Writer Brandon Scott Gorrell acknowledges that they are the things he DOES say rather than the things he SHOULD say, or which would improve the situation in any way. The one he likes best, "Because I choose to be," is actually the worst, in my opinion, because--I mean, I don't want to get all "It's not a choice" on you, but it really isn't like I'll be sitting there thinking, "Should I say this or that? Shall I be loquacious? Nah, I'll just be quiet." Being talkative just isn't in my nature.
Therefore, I present to you MY five prepackaged responses to the question "Why are you so quiet?"
"I'm silently judging you."
Warning: you will be taken seriously. This is what people think anyway.
"I have nothing to say."
This is usually the one that comes most quickly to my mind, and it has its drawbacks. Mostly, people don't believe you. "Say anything!" they'll urge. Sometimes I go on to explain that my mind literally goes blank in social situations, and the easy chatting that comes naturally to most people just doesn't come to me, like a song you can't quite remember; that my brain goes, Loading... loading... loading... Error: Null response. "Actually, I'm quite stupid!" I'll finish desperately. It's self-deprecating, sure, but it's also honest in my case. It's unexpected, anyway, since most people mistake quietness for deep, haughty judgment.
"Just the way I am, I guess. Why are you so tall?"
Or any inherent, neutral trait. "Loud" works, if they are loud, and if you sense they are proud of it. Warning: high probability of choosing the wrong adjective and looking like an asshole, especially you suffer from the inability to think on your feet described above.
"Why not?"
An all-purpose answer to any "why" question, and it throws the conversational ball back in the other person's court. I'm assuming that we-all can carry on conversations once they're started.
"I'm shy. It's endearing."
I can't tell what's more endearing here: a matter-of-fact tone, or a hilariously defensive one, as if you've been asked a hundred times before. Nothing is less and more endearing than rage. If you can't manage not to sound aggrieved, then this is a good option.
Therefore, I present to you MY five prepackaged responses to the question "Why are you so quiet?"
"I'm silently judging you."
Warning: you will be taken seriously. This is what people think anyway.
"I have nothing to say."
This is usually the one that comes most quickly to my mind, and it has its drawbacks. Mostly, people don't believe you. "Say anything!" they'll urge. Sometimes I go on to explain that my mind literally goes blank in social situations, and the easy chatting that comes naturally to most people just doesn't come to me, like a song you can't quite remember; that my brain goes, Loading... loading... loading... Error: Null response. "Actually, I'm quite stupid!" I'll finish desperately. It's self-deprecating, sure, but it's also honest in my case. It's unexpected, anyway, since most people mistake quietness for deep, haughty judgment.
"Just the way I am, I guess. Why are you so tall?"
Or any inherent, neutral trait. "Loud" works, if they are loud, and if you sense they are proud of it. Warning: high probability of choosing the wrong adjective and looking like an asshole, especially you suffer from the inability to think on your feet described above.
"Why not?"
An all-purpose answer to any "why" question, and it throws the conversational ball back in the other person's court. I'm assuming that we-all can carry on conversations once they're started.
"I'm shy. It's endearing."
I can't tell what's more endearing here: a matter-of-fact tone, or a hilariously defensive one, as if you've been asked a hundred times before. Nothing is less and more endearing than rage. If you can't manage not to sound aggrieved, then this is a good option.