What Are Social Awareness Skills and Why Learning Them


As young as 12 months, kids start learning self-awareness.

In other words, they realize that they are their own person. Like them, other people have their own set of thoughts and emotions. It is this newfound skill that allows them to learn empathy and be social with their peers.

But where does social awareness come in? Social awareness is a skill we start grasping at a young age but spend our whole lives perfecting.

That being said, it’s never too late to brush up on our social awareness skills. Keep reading to learn how.

Social Awareness: Definition

What is social awareness?

As we mentioned above, social awareness is the ability to take stock of your surroundings. Your focus is not on yourself but on others. In other words, you’re “reading the room.”

People with social awareness skills acknowledge that others' cultures, thoughts, and feelings differ from their own. In spite of these differences, they navigate social situations with grace and empathy.

Why Is Social Awareness Important?

Social awareness is what helps us connect with people. We are making people feel seen, heard, known, and ultimately loved. Social awareness skills help us develop long-term bonds with one another.

Other than the prospect of friendship, social skills take us far in any profession. In fact, seventy-three percent of employers agree it's difficult to find good candidates with social skills.

For this reason, you will stand out in job interviews and will do a better job of building rapport with your peers. 

The better your social skills, the more influential you'll become in your workplace. People will look up to you and respect you for your humility, patience, and understanding.

Social awareness also reminds you of your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you have certain biases or preconceived notions about certain cultures. Social awareness urges you to recognize and overcome these biases. 

What Are Some Examples of Social Awareness?

How do you show social awareness? Let's review some social awareness examples.

It could be giving up your seat on a bus or train for an elderly person when it's the last seat. It could be letting someone with two items cut you in line at the grocery store when you've got twenty items.

You should also monitor group social settings and events. Maybe you notice that a quieter person isn't speaking much or keeps getting interrupted. Make them feel heard by asking them to speak again.

Do you see what all these instances have in common? Empowerment. You're making our society a more peaceable place to live.

Growing Your Social Awareness

We start learning social skills from a young age. However, this doesn't mean you should neglect them as an adult. Social awareness should be a lifelong pursuit for everyone, especially caregivers.

Are you a caregiver for someone with a disability or limited mobility? If so, you want nothing more than your loved ones to stay connected. That's why you should invest in mobility products that could change their lives.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

How do you show social awareness?

  1. Identify social cues
  2. taking into account other peoples perspective
  3. display compassion and empathy
  4. showing conern for other people's feelings
  5. express and understand graitirude
  6. recognize other people's strengths 

What are some examples of social awareness?

  • Empathy and high emontional intelligence

Why is social awareness important?

  • Social awareness helps people, including children, improve social skills by interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, includiing those with disabilites. Social awareness also teaches the skills of communication, collaboration, social responsibility, and professionalism, which are helpful in their professional life.

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