Shallow Emotions

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Yesterday, we went to a Dennys. I stimmed outside by opening and shutting the front door. And then I realized that I am emotionally shallow.

When I am in my own element, unbound by anything, I am incredibly happy. Like "smiling ear to ear" happy. But when I'm bored I'm sad and lonely. I swing between the two quickly. I'm quick to cool off when I'm angry and soon after it's like it never happened. My emotions are shallow and not very intense. They come and they go.

Is this an Aspie thing?

Oh, and I feel younger than most of my peers, including my brother who is a year and a half younger than me.

I'm confused by your post.

First, you say you are emotionally shallow which you define later by saying, "My emotions are shallow and not very intense."

Then, you also say you can be "incredibly happy", you get "sad and lonely", and you get angry.

So you see why I'm confused?

I took it to mean her negative emotions are particularly shallow.

I'd be happy about that. I'm "happier" that my negative emotions cooled off a bit as I got older. I'd rather have intense happy and shallow negative feelings.

Not sure if it's an aspie thing. It's probably just a general personality thing.

Honestly I should stop talking about my feelings, it never comes out right.

I'm in doubt about whether or not my feelings actually mean anything, 'cause as I said they don't STAY. That's what I meant when I said "shallow emotions" and just now I'm realizing that it could mean something else entirely.

I mean, if you are mad at someone for not even half a day even if they've done something awful how do you get anyone to take you seriously?

As another poster said, I think it's a personality thing rather than an Asperger's thing.

I have shallow positive emotions and intense negative emotions. It doesn't take very much for me to go from "content" to "miserable".

Okay. I see what you mean. Your feelings can, and do, get intense but they just don't last that long. Interesting.

I guess I'm the opposite. Last week one of my coworkers really pissed me off. I wanted to throw her under a bus. This feeling lasted for days.

if someone treats you poorly, you don't have to stay angry to continue to protect yourself from them. that's where "taking you seriously" comes in.

I would not put words in your mouth, but, to me it seems like you have fleeting emotions. That they come quick and then change to something else or disappear.

Like some emotion like sadness washing over you and then disappear swiftly if something happens.

Being taken seriously has to do with overall communication and attitude. The severity and length you show your emotions especially anger has little to do with it. Showing that you are angry with someone for half a day is more than plenty.

Your emotions are another sense just like touch, hearing and seeing. They give you feedback on what you are experiencing from the outside world as well as your inner world. They "mean" as much as touching your hair means something or looking at a sunset or hearing music you like or burning yourself on the stove. It's how you interpret them and how you figure out the cause that I guess matters.

It's also completely normal to not feel intense emotions all the time. When I was young it seemed like that was all I felt. It was draining and unhealthy.

AH, okay.