Are Aspies more safety conscious than germ conscious?

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Jayo
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19 Sep 2011, 8:00 pm

I would have to say YES. As one of them myself, I've always been overly concerned about safety, making sure things are strapped into place, double-checking the stove burners, refusing to eat or talk on my cell phone while driving (even before the ban!!), having zero desire to ever take a motorcycle ride...etc...etc...even with my little daughter I'm like that...but then my wife, who is NT, is not so much security-conscious - she's totally germ-conscious though...she insists on me washing bottles of pop or cans before opening and consuming them, she asks me to wash broccoli really, really well, and so forth...things that don't really bother or occur to me, she says much of it is "common sense" and I disagree, but I guess that's just my Aspie brain at work :)

My belief is that this wide gap between safety and sanitary values among Aspies stems from three things:
1) They KNOW that they have a lack of common sense, so they are more inclined to double-check things
2) They also KNOW that they lack motor skills and multitasking ability, so they wouldn't do things like eat and drive
3) They have traditionally not exhibited good hygiene - this has improved in me, but I used to take showers every 2nd day in the winter (not summer!!), bite my fingernails in public, run my finger between my lips when thinking as a habit (easy to catch a cold then!!) and so on...

Or, maybe it's also the desire not to wind up with TWO DISABILITIES. In the case of the motorcycle, or other risky sporty stuff 8O
...whereas, a little extra exposure to germs won't kill you, might make you a bit sick or blah, but that's it.

But I'll tell you one thing. I bet you that an Aspie's desire for safety overrides their need for social acceptance. If an Aspie was working in a company doing manual labour where the culture was "screw safety", the Aspie would be the first one to rat them out to whatever regulatory board, not fearing for the consequences among co-workers. (I know I would do it...)



ValentineWiggin
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19 Sep 2011, 8:03 pm

I don't think "not keeping the hygiene routines of NT's" = being unhygienic.

Short of people with glandular problems causing profuse sweating, and athletes,
very few people need to bathe every single day.

That being said, I have to brush my teeth after every meal, or I feel absolutely funky.


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Last edited by ValentineWiggin on 19 Sep 2011, 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Verdandi
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19 Sep 2011, 8:12 pm

I don't see how "germ consciousness" is distinct from "safety consciousness." I tend to be all about both. I actually kind of freaked out recently when I was trying to fix a seat belt so I could use it and people were like "just get in and forget about the seat belt!" and I told them to go without me. Later, I fixed the seat belt in only a few seconds when I didn't have people yelling at me because an extra minute is intolerable.

Admittedly, I don't bother to wash soda cans before drinking from them, but after a lifetime of not catching the plague from that, I think I have empirical evidence that it's probably okay.



Jayo
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19 Sep 2011, 8:26 pm

hehe. my original post wasn't intended to show the two as distinct - it was to illustrate that Aspie & NT values for each are practically polar opposites. I just decided to blend those two facets of life habits into a single post :D

Verdandi wrote:
I don't see how "germ consciousness" is distinct from "safety consciousness." I tend to be all about both. I actually kind of freaked out recently when I was trying to fix a seat belt so I could use it and people were like "just get in and forget about the seat belt!" and I told them to go without me. Later, I fixed the seat belt in only a few seconds when I didn't have people yelling at me because an extra minute is intolerable.

Admittedly, I don't bother to wash soda cans before drinking from them, but after a lifetime of not catching the plague from that, I think I have empirical evidence that it's probably okay.



pensieve
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19 Sep 2011, 8:29 pm

I'm both. Through personal experience I've learned to be cautious of both.


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19 Sep 2011, 10:37 pm

That's a good question, Im cautious about my safety but not to the extent. However, some NTs can be safety cautious though.



Ilka
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20 Sep 2011, 4:53 am

I am NT. I am not safety-concious or germ-concious. My Aspie husband is both. But I think it has more to do with the way you are rised. His parents was incredibly (maniac-grade) safety/germ-concious. Mine were not. I am more safety/germ-concious now thanks to him.



IdahoRose
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20 Sep 2011, 6:33 am

I'm the opposite. Part of the reason I can't be independent is that I don't follow a lot of safety rules. As an example, I used to think it was OK it stick a fork in the toaster to retrieve toast before my mom caught me doing it and told me I could get electrocuted.

However, I have been terrified of germs my whole life, which culminated in a case of OCD that requires medication.



Joe90
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20 Sep 2011, 6:50 am

I'm more germ conscious.


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Aprilviolets
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20 Sep 2011, 7:33 am

I'm both before I go to bed I'm always checking that I haven't left the stove on and that the door is deadlocked.
I also make sure the kitchen bench is clean and I wash my hands before I handle food.
And shower everyday.



n3rdgir1
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20 Sep 2011, 7:50 am

I'm diagnosed aspie but totally neither. I'm actually pro-germs. I like giving my immune system something to fight, and I've never had a flu shot. The "five second rule" for me is more like a 3 minute rule (depending on the floor). If I'm not paying attention I tend to shower two to three times a week, and usually just with hot water (soap allergy). I've had my motorcycle license 7 years and own one. In general I'm not worried about getting hurt.

This might go to the whole aspie avoider/seeker thing. I tend to look for strong sensations. Also, I'm fairly numb to pain. Normally, even if something is supposed to be painful, it might be for the first 2-4 seconds, then something happens in my brain and it goes almost numb. It's funny to watch me get a serious injury. "HOLY FUC..hey, you guys want to go grab some sushi?"



Ilka
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20 Sep 2011, 9:35 am

Aprilviolets wrote:
I'm both before I go to bed I'm always checking that I haven't left the stove on and that the door is deadlocked.
I also make sure the kitchen bench is clean and I wash my hands before I handle food.
And shower everyday.


I also check the door is deadlocked before going to sleep every night, keep my kitchen bench clean, wash my hands before handling food, and shower everyday (twice a day). I do not consider myself very safety conscious or germ conscious, but I am not grubby, either.



Christopherwillson
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20 Sep 2011, 11:54 am

i am really both :P i am afraid of rooms where people had sex recently.. i don't dare to touch anything, i often take safety measures that lots of people can't find the purpose of but ones they fall or anything it would've safed their life.


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