Studying People

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i, also, am the person to observe others, but also to learn them...ex: i obverse how much eye contact they make, when they commonly pause their speech, how they expect me to react to what they say....i learn how to talk to them without as much awkwardness as there normally would be this way...

In the past, I tended to examine people from an illustrator's point of view. Like, "those are interesting eyes" or "the dip of their shoulders would make for an interesting kind of character."

Nowadays, I've been interested in psychology and facial expression. Apart from being the latest obsession, it should help with social interaction. Unfortunately I currently cannot be involved in conversation AND study/evaluate expressions. It's one or the other for now.

In the past I've studied people, but then I stop because everyone started to act exactly the same way.

In high school I had a friend tell me some of the ways I moved or held my hands was very woman like. So to fix this I started staring at how my female classmates moved their hands trying to see what movements were femine. You would not believe how many girls accused me of staring at their breasts. I would tell them the truth that I was staring at how they move their hands and arms because someone said my movements looked femine. The girls would just say oh then sorry. My male friends kept saying only someone as strange as me could get a girl to appolagize for getting mad at me string at their breasts.

I tend to get very fascinated by what makes people tick and the human condition to the point that I sometimes just walk around and observe other people's behaviours. I think it's from years of being worried that other people are having harsh thoughts about my own behaviour while I was afraid of questioning or thinking about what anybody does.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, n'est-ce pas?

It sounds to me like you think like a writer. You may have AS or something but what you describe doesn't sound espcially Aspie/Autie like.

I see "change", "choose" and "pass" there, but could someone please translate?



If you are referring to what I had said, the Aspie part is something like having a combination of "special interest" and spiritual awareness within a mind that can no more abide falsehoods, delusions or fantasies than to outright lie.

ditto! i cant pay attention to a darn thing when someones talking to me, but man im sharp when im listening indirectly.

if Im talking to someone i simply have zero interest in listening to whatever garbage that idly flies out of NTs mouths. I know they cant help it any more than we can help the way aspies are wired, but i must say i have about lost all patience for polite listening.
im usually busy analyzing their soul as i pretend to listen. am i obsessed with the human condition? yep. does it apply to me? only as much as the thin crust of the earth applies to humanity- very superficially.

Yeah, I am undiagnosed. I have other AS traits but just wondering if this might be one.

I absolutely do, that's why I like it so much here. I don't need to remember every little detail about everyone, it's all written down (not having to ask questions or bring up things is nice, too).

I do this while going through the standard list of things almost every person wants to hear, if I'm studying them while they're hurt. Which seems insensitive, but really, going outside the box stylistically or ideologically while comforting someone is usually just not a good idea.

Sorry, leejosepho, I wasn't thinking ahead. My brain likes the sound of the phrase in French.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Time is a very loose concept for me.


Me too. I'd much rather be an observor.

It's fun to watch other people (as long as I'm not "in the picture"). I find myself trying to figure things out, "I wonder why she did that?....is that her friend? ....she doesn't look like she is listening to her....I wonder if she is bored....maybe she is tired...it doesn't look like she likes being with her friend....I wonder if she is with her just to be polite".

Often when I'm at a restaurant I mentally leave my tables conversation and keep tabs on everyone elses conversation/behavior....
"Wow, that lady with the lady doesn't like her salad, I wonder what is wrong with it"....."Maybe she doesn't like the dressing"...."it looks like too much dressing....she should have asked to put it on the side".

I do that too. I get easily distracted by the details around me. I always pay attention to little things my friends don't seems to notice. I can get caught up on the fact that some person's hair near me has a kink in it or something.

And I like to guess what other people are talking about if I'm at a restaurant.

I study people on WrongPlanet, all the time. I can tell who the good people are, and who the jerks are.

You bet!