#Question: What Is Considered Nerdy?

Talk Nerdy To Me’s @StaffWriter:

In this article, we'll answer the questions to the most pressing questions about what is considered nerdy.

Questions like:

• What determines if something or someone is nerdy?

• What are nerdy things?

• Is it a bad thing to be nerdy?

What Determines if Something or Someone Is Nerdy?

When determining if something or someone is nerdy, many factors must be considered. While some of these factors may be immediately apparent—such as being overly smart or being obsessed with comic books—others are more difficult to recognize right away.

The following are all things that could determine if someone is nerdy:

Being extremely interested in one specific thing. If you "nerd out" about a topic, hobby, or interest, you are considered nerdy. It doesn't matter what the "thing" is—chess, video games, music, or anything else.

Lacking basic social skills. This does not apply to everyone, but some people who are nerdy do not have many friends or connections in their life because they lack basic social skills. They may be highly intelligent (see the next bullet) but that doesn't matter if they cannot communicate with others properly. It's extremely frustrating for them, too—they have just as much right to have a friend as anyone else.

Being over-intelligent. Being smarter than the average person is nothing to be ashamed of, but when it reaches an extreme level, being smarter than most breeds negative reactions from others. People might feel threatened by your intelligence or view you as showing off. When you know everything about something that no one else does or you are able to answer questions out of nowhere, it can be off-putting.

Having few friends. If someone lacks friends, they may come across as nerdy because people generally hang out with others who share similar interests and hobbies. While sharing the same interest is not the only factor in making friends, it's definitely a part of it—especially for children and teenagers who are trying to fit in while they figure everything out.

Clothing that other kids don't wear. Clothes aren't everything when it comes to fitting in, but if other kids laugh at what you're wearing (or how you're dressed), then there could be a problem. Your clothing choices may be too "nerdy" for them. On the other hand, be true to yourself no matter what others say.

Is Being Nerdy Just an Obsession?

You could argue that a nerdy thing is just an obsession.

People obsess over all sorts of things—sports, TV shows, memes, and more. When the majority of society obsesses over something, it usually isn't considered "nerdy."

Only when a subset (or smaller group) of people obsess over something does it enter the world of "nerdiness." For example, not too many people get super into comics—but the kids who do are considered "nerdy."

Obsessions over cars and sports don't usually get labeled as nerdy.

Somewhat contradictory, obsession with toy cars is typically called nerdy.

List of Nerdy Things

Since nerdy things can vary from one person to another, it's difficult to list all the different types of "nerdy" interests.

However, there are a few common types that exist:

Comics and animation movies. These have been popular for decades and show no signs of slowing down. Kids who enjoy comics and animated movies tend to be called nerds because they're really into those specific topics/genres.

Video games. From Tetris to Call of Duty, video games have been a hit since their inception—and they aren't going anywhere as technology continues to advance. If you play tons of video games every day after school, then people will probably call you a nerd.

Books. Many kids love reading, but those who read books outside of their reading level or for fun are generally labeled as nerdy because it's not a common hobby. Popular novels like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games have brought more attention to reading, but avid readers tend to be called nerds, regardless.

Board games. People enjoy playing video games and computer games, but board games take things back a step—and that can make them unpopular with some people. If you enjoy playing board games, you'll probably be considered a nerd.

Gadgets. If you spend hours tinkering around with gadgets at home, then other people might see you as "nerdy." Unless your gadget is a car. Go figure.

Science. Kids who are fascinated by the subject of science are “nerdometers” firing at full power. Even adults can be labeled as nerds if they love science.

Math. If you enjoy it, then you might be seen as nerdy, even if you are good at it.

Chess/shogi/go. These traditional games have remained popular around the world for centuries—and there's a reason behind their popularity. People who go out of their way to learn these types of games will probably be seen as geeks or nerds.

Is It a Bad Thing to be Nerdy?

In today's society, being called a nerd can have many different meanings depending on who you ask. For most people, being called a nerd is not necessarily synonymous with being socially awkward, however, it still suggests that there may be traits such as poor fashion sense and lack of social skills. In other words, nerds are often stereotyped as "geeks."

The word geek typically has a negative connotation associated with it.

This term is defined as an overly intellectual person who lacks social skills and/or commitment to certain activities (like sports). Therefore, nerds may be viewed as "geeks" who do not possess the physical qualities that distinguish an athlete from a bookworm.

However, the term "nerdy" has been hijacked in the last decade to mean someone or something quirky and cool.

Celebrities and other famous people like to cheekily refer to themselves as "nerdy." So, nerdy is the new hot.

Why Nerdy Is Good

Nerdy is good because it suggests that someone has an interest in something that may be considered intellectual or academic. While the general population is out buying new clothes, nerdy people are busy learning about science, technology, politics... whatever.

Nerdy people tend to get along with other nerds—because they like similar things and share similar hobbies.

Geeks also typically get good jobs with high salaries. This means that being labeled as nerdy may not be the worst thing in the world...

It might even help your career.

So, don't worry if people label you as a nerd—just embrace it! Who knows? You could end up rich and/or famous one day because of your love for "nerdy" stuff.