Mindblindness

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I recently heard that other people use facial expressions, tone and body language to read each other's minds...I have never even considered this.

Has anyone here done this? It seems strange.

I believe that I try to do this. Since I have learned about having some issues that will cause me to have difficulty reading non-verbal cues I am more aware of it and think more about whether or not I am reading non-verbal cues correctly. I believe I can read basic facial expressions pretty well and then I have more trouble with body language and tone of voice. For example, a person at work who I consider to be very sarcastic is difficult for me to figure out since the person seems to be half joking yet serious.

Part of it is our aversion to eye contact...apparently the eyes can show a huge amount of emotion for others to pick up on.

People do this instinctively, and generally better than Aspies.

The reason people get along with their own age is because of emotional maturity.
So they are able to connect easier.

The emotions unfold according to the biological clock in all our brains.
I hypothesize it's stunted in Aspies.

I have also only just begun to realize the depth of what most people get out of eyes, facial expressions and body language. I have been trying to be more observant to try and understand it better. I am also now more aware of this in fiction books that I read. I never realized how much an author describes eye contact and facial expression between characters. This also explains the facial close ups in TV shows and movies.

I also think NTs have a more finite range of emotions then aspeis too. This also makes it difficult to truely figure out a person's emotion.

I think people who say they can "mind read" are actually just very good a picking up suttle clues from the person they are speaking to.

Although I'm pretty good at paying attention to and using all of those things myself to gain meaning from conversations with NTs, I always assume that others on the spectrum may not have these skills.

A reason that NTs misunderstand people on the spectrum is that the NT often thinks that the AS person is conveying something when they aren't trying to at all. For example, a woman I know on the spectrum has a lot of trouble with non-verbal communication and often speaks in a terse tone that could suggest to people that she has a short fuse or is angry. If she is just meeting an NT, I can imagine them taking this personally without realizing she isn't meaning to speak this way.

Also, it's less to do with reading minds, but it's a way to make an educated guess as to what the person is trying to communicate. Sometimes, people will convey one thing with their facial expressions/body language/tone etc. and will be thinking another thing completely. If people could actually read minds, there wouldn't be conflicts in friendships and relationships due to a lack of communcation, as everyone would be understanding...but that is proof that no one can read minds, and that even NTs get mixed up in the nuances of communication sometimes.