Silence is very awkward, unless your really tired, then its nice=). I think that its awkward for me because all my life I've grown up in a house with two sisters, and its never been completely silent. Growing up with two sisters, when is it silent? I haven't really experienced any awkward silences that I can remember. I think its funny when there is an awkward silence though, and I will sometimes laugh.I think that some people do talk just to fill the air with words, or at least to hear them self speak. I think people talk more then sit in silence because talking is more fun then sitting in silence. Would you rather be talking to a friend about your previous weekend, or sit in silence? I think that the idea that we always need to have sound/noise or talking does effect our ability to listen. I think that it makes us worse at listening then it would if we would just were quite and sat in silence.