Does anyone else's social skills drop during hyperfocus?

Page 1 of 1 [ 10 posts ] 

Lanceeselhombre
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 25 May 2018
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Posts: 47

18 Oct 2018, 3:36 pm

When I do my school work I hyperfocus on it, and while I'm doing it I have really bad social skills. When people try talking to me I can barely respond with a few words before I get frustrated at them for interfering with my focus and tell them to leave me alone. But the second someone pulls me out of the hyperfocus at a point that i feel comfortable leaving it, I'm my usual happy, social self (not to say that I'm very skilled, I make lots of mistake even though I like people.)


_________________
When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras. - Dr. Theodore Woodward


Magna
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Jun 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,932

18 Oct 2018, 3:40 pm

Yes. When I was a child and I was hyper-focused on something or deep in thought "zoned out", I couldn't hear people at all. They would have to say my name over and over and maybe on the sixth time, I'd slowly start to come out of it.



Skilpadde
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Dec 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 27,019

18 Oct 2018, 3:56 pm

Yeah, when I am in hyper focus or lost in thoughts, there are def times I don't hear anything said, and it always makes me annoyed to be brought out of it.

If I'm preoccupied I also am way worse at reading people and catch subtlety than I am when paying attention. (Although I think that's somewhat universal).


_________________
BOLTZ 17/3 2012 - 12/11 2020
Beautiful, sweet, gentle, playful, loyal
simply the best and one of a kind
love you and miss you, dear boy

Stop the wolf kills! https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeact ... 3091429765


Trogluddite
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Feb 2016
Age: 53
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,075
Location: Yorkshire, UK

18 Oct 2018, 5:26 pm

Same as all the above. When I'm hyper-focused I barely register my own hunger, thirst, cold, etc. and lose track of where parts of my own body are; never mind what anyone else might be doing!


_________________
When you are fighting an invisible monster, first throw a bucket of paint over it.


serpentari
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 29 Sep 2018
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,307
Location: russia

19 Oct 2018, 4:30 am

when somebody pulls me out of hyperfocus (aka info-cocoon aka well whatever we call it), i am REALLY paining, disoriented and frustrated. so i do my best to not go in it when somebody can. like when my kid isnt awake around me. i know the danger. and ya i'd snap much too. practically hating a person who tries to do that, hating them much more if they did it. i need to cycle down carefully to be safe, ya. so i guess its common among us, m? rly try to hyperfocus when u are alone, if u can afford it, it helps)


_________________
sanity is a prison. insanity is doom. is there a third option, please?
beware the ire of the patient ones!
and if i walk away, who is gonna stay? i believe to make the world be a better place.


Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

19 Oct 2018, 12:44 pm

I find a lot of people are like this, but I'm actually the opposite. If I'm writing or drawing or playing on my phone, I can still hear what everyone around me are saying, and I can join in conversations and respond whilst doing my activity.

Some people completely get hyperfocused on a TV programme or on their phones, and when you try to talk to them they don't seem to hear. I just cannot hyperfocus on anything unless I'm on my own and am physically comfortable (like I can only get into a movie if I'm laying with a blanket over me with a fair-sized screen close enough to not get too distracted by my periphery).


_________________
Female


Prometheus18
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Aug 2018
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,866

19 Oct 2018, 2:55 pm

That sounds about right, though I'm not sure it's an Aspie thing.



jimmy m
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jun 2018
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,298
Location: Indiana

19 Oct 2018, 5:17 pm

When I am hyperfocused or spaced out, my mind is actively thinking at a million miles per hour and I place my body in auto drive. So during that time, I am two people at the same time. I can even be driving during this time.

I do not like to be brought out of this state because then I will completely lose my train of thought. And it is very difficult to return back to my focus or even find my logic train again. I can engage in minimal conversations during this phase but nothing that requires major thought. I can instantly snap out of hyperfocus, for example if a deer was to jump out in front of the car. So I still retain good reaction times to any threats.


_________________
Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."


Child of the Universe
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

Joined: 8 May 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 366

21 Oct 2018, 8:47 pm

Yep, this happens to me. It actually lead to a serious social mistake the other week.


_________________
"Don't mind me. I come from another planet. I see horizons where you see borders." - Frida Kahlo


MathGirl
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,522
Location: Ontario, Canada

27 Oct 2018, 7:49 pm

I recently posted a thread about unlearning social skills quickly and am realizing hyperfocus has a lot to do with it. When I am working on a project that is taking days/weeks, I cannot stop thinking about it as it is unfinished. As a result, I lose my ability to tune back into "social mode". I think that then spirals into less practice and deteriorating social skills overall.


_________________
Leading a double life and loving it (but exhausted).

Likely ADHD instead of what I've been diagnosed with before.