If you can't read facial expressions...

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marshall
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31 Jul 2009, 9:52 pm

I'm not sure whether I have a problem in that area or not. I seem pick up some emotions spontaneously, especially discomfort and anxiety. I don't think I rely on facial expressions as much as others though because I don't look at people's faces as much. It's more in the tone of voice, amount and timing of silences, and how the person moves.

My issue is more my failing to use proper body language. Trying to mimic other people's facial expressions feels too much like acting to me, i.e. being fake. It's just not natural. Unless I'm experiencing a strong emotion I have a sort of flat affect. My natural facial expression is "pensive".



Maggiedoll
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31 Jul 2009, 10:32 pm

pschristmas wrote:
fiddlerpianist wrote:
My wife sometimes does this. I can tell that something is wrong, but I don't know what. I will ask her what is wrong, and she will say, "Nothing." I will do this several times, nagging her to actually tell me what's wrong, and then eventually it comes out and we both feel better.

She knows she can't fool me, so why does she keep trying to? Am I supposed to just intuitively figure out why she is upset about something? :?


If she's anything like me, she's probably trying to convince herself that whatever is bothering her really is nothing and that she shouldn't be feeling bent out of shape over it. The only problem is, it really is bothering her and denying it doesn't just make it go away. Then the stress builds up and it all comes boiling out. I do this all the time. It drove my husband nuts.


Yes, I agree with that. A lot of times if someone doesn't WANT to be bothered by something, they'll answer that they're not. It can be a guilt thing. Like if something is upsetting but it doesn't seem like it should be, it can be hard to admit.



xile123
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19 Oct 2016, 4:15 pm

Sometimes I can see expression but I still don't understand it. Most of the time I can't see it at all and most of the time I dont even look at peoples faces to begin with, it feels way too intense and distracting.



Joe90
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19 Oct 2016, 4:47 pm

I don't have this problem, I see facial expressions all the time.


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AspergianMutantt
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19 Oct 2016, 4:53 pm

When I realized I was Aspergers, and what that meant, and the whole thing about eye contact and body language and expressions, I also realized much of the reason I couldn't read people was because with my never looking I was not learning to read them, so I trained my self to look and in doing so my being able to read people's body language and the like has improved greatly. and I passed this onto my asperger son as well, making sure he looks at the people he is communicating with, making that eye contact, and it has helped him greatly as well.


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League_Girl
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19 Oct 2016, 4:54 pm

Well I can read facial expressions and see the changes they make but it doesn't mean I always know what they mean why they do that with their face. Depending on the relationship I have with them, I will ask them "what?" or ask them what the problem is so they can elaborate or ask them what their thought was so I know without asking them what their facial expression meant or the look on their face.


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AspergianMutantt
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19 Oct 2016, 4:57 pm

League_Girl wrote:
Well I can read facial expressions and see the changes they make but it doesn't mean I always know what they mean why they do that with their face. Depending on the relationship I have with them, I will ask them "what?" or ask them what the problem is so they can elaborate or ask them what their thought was so I know without asking them what their facial expression meant or the look on their face.


Its a learning thing and takes practice., cant expect to just look and understand what your seeing.


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slw1990
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19 Oct 2016, 5:33 pm

I can see the expression, but I don't always know what it means. It also seems like a lot of expressions look very similar to each other, but can have completely different meanings to them.



ocdgirl123
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19 Oct 2016, 6:54 pm

I can kind of read facial expressions, but there needs to other cues like tone of voice or body language. Reading eyes is my biggest struggle. When I look at people's eyes, unless it's widening of the eyes or eye rolling, the eyes look blank to me. It's funny because I've been told, while I do make facial expressions with my whole face, my eyes look blank sometimes.


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rats_and_cats
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19 Oct 2016, 7:04 pm

I can see that people are making faces, but I won't notice subtle cues. I can now tell if a smile is fake because their eyes aren't involved in it, and I can read more extreme facial expressions, but I can't always pick up on layered or more complex emotions.