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Talking style, mimics and gestures

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Highly_Autistic
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Yesterday, 9:17 pm

My facial expression does not change much, even when talking. Sometimes i look angry/upset even if I'm not. When someone tells a joke for example, I dont laugh automatically. I need to force myself to use mimics and react. Why I can't just seem normal? Give some reaction, use gestures and mimics naturally... How do you deal with these?



Carbonhalo
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Yesterday, 9:30 pm

Practice in front of a mirror.
Learn how your face feels to make useful expressions.
Smile, grimace, scowl, show confusion, look sheepish. Whenever you see a mirror try different smiles for different occasions. Feel no compunction about borrowing facial expressions from anyone. Eventually you can adopt one with a thought even if they don't become automatic.



Jakki
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Yesterday, 10:35 pm

Carbonhalo wrote:
Practice in front of a mirror.
Learn how your face feels to make useful expressions.
Smile, grimace, scowl, show confusion, look sheepish. Whenever you see a mirror try different smiles for different occasions. Feel no compunction about borrowing facial expressions from anyone. Eventually you can adopt one with a thought even if they don't become automatic.



^^^^^^ This One ^^^^^


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Yesterday, 11:07 pm

Highly_Autistic wrote:
My facial expression does not change much, even when talking. Sometimes i look angry/upset even if I'm not. When someone tells a joke for example, I dont laugh automatically. I need to force myself to use mimics and react. Why I can't just seem normal? Give some reaction, use gestures and mimics naturally... How do you deal with these?

I have the same problem. I usually just tell people directly how I'm feeling. Everyone who knows me knows that my face doesn't change, so they believe what I say over how I look.


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Jakki
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Today, 6:21 am

The mirror practice is best , some Aspies have Echocholia, ( mimicing sounds they hear .) That can be used to add inflection to your voice . if you wish. And getting a habit of smiling everytime you walk through a doorway.
Often it will disarm the people in the room.. As people do tend to look at or notice , people coming into a room.


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Last edited by Jakki on 19 Nov 2024, 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

Fenn
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Today, 8:20 am

Sometimes I will try to “amplify” my natural emotions to better communicate via non-verbals


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