Empathy?

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I've wondered whether or not anyone else is like this. I know many aspies have a hard time judging facial expressions and social cues, but that is not my problem at all. If anything I'm very good at telling how and/or what someone is feeling/thinking. The thing is I have trouble understanding why, I guess matching the expression to the situation.

I'm pretty good at telling, but it's got a lot less to do with expression and a lot more to do with smell.

I have this problem too, but in my case in addition to having difficulty understanding facial expressions and non-verbal communication in general.

The problem with empathy is that it is described as thinking how you would feel in another person's situation. But we are all different, so what I would do and how I would cope in a situation is different from how another person might fare in the exact same situation. It is very hard to predict and understand this for each individual person.

Yes, I'm a little like that too. I'm pretty good at reading people's facial expressions, but I never know what to think about why they might be feeling that way.

I'm excellent at this. I know how people are feeling, I know when it is appropriate to give empathy. I just don't. I can't. I just don't know how to do it.

Sometimes it works, and it's good those times.

I think I can see how people are feeling most of the time, but if their reaction (tears, wailing, falling apart) is not how I would react, I have no sympathy and just think they should "get over it".

Don't mean to sound like I'm uncaring. I can't watch news reports about bad things that happen to kids for example.

I think that being able to read peoples emotional state and being able to empathize with that state are two different abilities. I'm not very good at the identifying part outside of the extremes (crying, yelling, etc.), but I'm even worse at the empathy part.

It is hard to be objective...I think I might possible misinterprate(sp?) people s facial expressions...or i don't know what it is I am supposed to be getting from them...or how much I am supposed to read into it..and i may read too much or not enough..and then..well...often I am too detached form people to bother with anything much beyond whether they want another beer (i act as bartender at my venue)

I am extremely good at seeing things from another persons point of view. I can understand all of the logical elements to their pont of view. However I cannot understand any of the emotional elements. Facial expressions, body language and subtle emotions are lost on me. The only emotions I can decipher are the extreme ones.

There are exceptions, but for the most part this would be an accurate visual representation of what I really feel inside when I pretend to empathize with most people...

http://img97.echo.cx/img97/2153/givedamn2ak.gif

Heh.

I can't read body language for s**t. But if its someone I'm fairly close to... I can feel their emotional state, if its an intense one. Like if my best friend is happy, playful, in a foul mood, upset... I'll pick it up from her just by her walking by, I don't even have to look at her. I'll just get "vibes."