Is This A Form Of Masking?

[FayetheAspie]

I don't think I pass as neurotypical much at all. I don't think I really mask in that way very much. What I do however is mask my more extroverted traits. When unmasked, I tend to have a lot of enthusiasm, love to chatter about special interests and/or random thoughts, questions, and associations between things that I notice, and have overly expressive facial expressions (like Jim Carrey style facial expressions (minus the cgi assisted ones)but they are automatic, natural, responses most of the time that others inform me of afterwards). When masking if that is what it is, I am mostly quiet and monotone and have body language more stereotypical of autism (like most autistic characters in movies). I don't think I could pass has neurotypical for a whole hour in public if I had to and somehow my efforts to be less annoying, avoid trouble ,ect. Just seem to make the autism as such more obvious if anything. When being my natural self I get frequent hints about ADHD unless I am in study an interesting subject hyperfocus mode, then I think that I probably seem pretty stereotypically aspergers.

 

[Judge]

That's a very candid personal assessment of one's self and autism. Thanks for sharing.

An observation I've made here over the years. That some of us are on different parts of the spectrum, where attempting to mask or hide our autistic traits and behaviors simply doesn't happen, or may be somewhat limited. That's it's simply not an option.

Though I suspect you're spot-on about how problematic this can be having to exist in an NT world, where people are more likely to make inaccurate and unfair judgments of you in real time. That process of being "pigeonholed" on any number of levels. Putting you at a distinct disadvantage with so many people who either can't understand, or don't want to.

Yes, it sounds like perhaps being less animated may well be the best you can do when it comes to masking. I would concur, that indeed in your case it is you attempting to mask your traits and behaviors. And that it's not always easily perpetuated in real time.

In my own case, my sense of masking involves considerably more, but still exhausts me to a point where I cannot necessarily continue. When I attempt to be chameleon-like and imitate the collective expressions of others. Not unlike Cinderella at the stroke of midnight knowing my time is up.

It can be a hard life for us...using up so many emotional and physical resources just to blend in.

Something I was doing for the first 55 years of my life, without ever really understanding it.

 

[FayetheAspie]

Some of the weird facial expressions pop through even while in stay quiet to avoid trouble mode. If someone says something that sounds strange to me, if I feel intimidated, or if I feel embarrassed I can't seem to avoid them. If I try to suppress the facial expressions they often are simply morphed into an even stranger one and /or I start laughing. For some reason my enthusiastic and excited expressions are easier to suppress when necessary. Does anyone have any advice about this.

 

[Judge]

Some of the weird facial expressions pop through even while in stay quiet to avoid trouble mode. If someone say something that sounds strange to me, if I feel intimidated, or if I feel embarrassed I can't seem to avoid them. If I try to suppress the facial expressions they often are simply morphed into an even stranger one and /or I start laughing. For some reason my enthusiastic and excited expressions are easier to suppress when necessary. Does anyone have any advice about this.

Only that sadly it's precisely the sort of thing that is best suppressed when dealing with NTs in real time. And in as much as is possible for you. Otherwise their first impressions are likely to go downhill from there in real time. But you clearly already know this.

Your own self-awareness of such social dynamics at least offer you some clarity over what is happening. But whether or not you can control or limit such traits and behaviors is something only you can truly answer.

Much like me being able to "blend in" effectively, but that my weakness is that I cannot do so indefinitely. That's it remains an exhausting process for me to try to hide over time. Yet on occasion when people observe such exhaustion on my part, they still aren't entirely aware of why, and I have never offered them any real answers. They probably wouldn't understand or believe them anyways.

 

[FayetheAspie]

People with severe hyperactive ADHD often exhibit overly expressive facial expressions due to their difficulty regulating emotions, which can manifest as rapidly changing and sometimes exaggerated facial displays depending on the situation, often reflecting their immediate feelings without conscious control. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key points about this connection: [1, 2, 4]

• Emotional intensity: ADHD can lead to experiencing emotions with greater intensity, which can translate into more pronounced facial expressions. [1, 2, 4]
• Difficulty with emotional regulation: Individuals with ADHD may struggle to manage their emotions, causing their facial expressions to quickly shift based on changing thoughts or stimuli. [2, 4, 5]
• Impulsivity: The impulsive nature of ADHD can lead to spontaneous facial expressions that may not be fully considered or aligned with social norms. [3, 4, 6]
• Challenges with social cues: Difficulty interpreting facial expressions in others can also be present in people with ADHD, which may contribute to their own overly expressive displays. [3, 4, 7]

Examples of overly expressive facial expressions in ADHD: [1, 3, 4]

• Exaggerated smiles or frowns: Quickly shifting between wide smiles and deep frowns depending on their current mood. [1, 3, 4]
• Rapid eye movements: Frequent blinking or wide-eyed expressions that may indicate heightened excitement or anxiety. [3, 4, 8]
• Furrowed brows or raised eyebrows: Can signify concentration, confusion, or frustration. [1, 3, 4]
• Open-mouthed expressions: May be seen when someone with ADHD is excited, surprised, or even slightly frustrated. [1, 3, 4]

Important considerations: [3, 4, 7]

• Individual variations: Not everyone with ADHD will display overly expressive facial expressions to the same degree. [3, 4, 7]
• Context matters: The intensity of facial expressions can be influenced by the situation and the person's current emotional state. [1, 3, 4]


Generative AI is experimental.

[1] https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/adhd/mortifying-adult-adhd-moments[2] https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-emotions-understanding-intense-feelings/[3] Recognition of emotional facial expressions in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - PubMed https://www.medpagetoday.com/resour...ocessing-emotional-facial-expressions/2896[5] https://chadd.org/attention-article/adult-adhd-and-emotions/[6] https://www.hattiesburgclinic.com/youinmind/not-so-obvious-symptoms-of-adhd/[7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6081050/[8] Increased pupil dilation to happy faces in children with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms of ADHD - PMC

Based off of this, perhaps what is actually happening is that I am masking my severe hyperactive ADHD but in certain situations I have trouble masking it completely and when masking or partially masking the ADHD then the largely unmasked ASD becomes more obvious.

 

[Jumpinbare]

My masking has been essentially to present as little personality as possible. So I am quiet when in a group, usually located somewhere on the periphery (preferably near an exit). I try to keep any emotions in check, keep my posture as neutral as possible, and only speak if I am required to, or when I really feel compelled to speak up on something I believe to be of substantial importance to the group. In my last job, on the few occasions I spontaneously spoke in a group, everyone really listened, as if The Guru was speaking.

 

[Boogs]

[1] https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/adhd/mortifying-adult-adhd-moments[2] https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-emotions-understanding-intense-feelings/[3] Recognition of emotional facial expressions in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - PubMed https://www.medpagetoday.com/resour...ocessing-emotional-facial-expressions/2896[5] https://chadd.org/attention-article/adult-adhd-and-emotions/[6] https://www.hattiesburgclinic.com/youinmind/not-so-obvious-symptoms-of-adhd/[7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6081050/[8] Increased pupil dilation to happy faces in children with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms of ADHD - PMC

FYI: Most of those links (bar the last) are broken by the following "[n]" not being separated by a space or carriage return/line feed.
Anyone having trouble with this, just remove the "[2]" (or whichever number) at the end of the URL in the newly opened page to get rid of the 404 error and see the content.

 

[FayetheAspie]

FYI: Most of those links (bar the last) are broken by the following "[n]" not being separated by a space or carriage return/line feed.
Anyone having trouble with this, just remove the "[2]" (or whichever number) at the end of the URL in the newly opened page to get rid of the 404 error and see the content.
View attachment 139625

Thanks. I would not have known how to fix it. I just hit the add to clipboard button at the bottom of the AI review and it threw the whole thing together however it did.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I'm not sure how some of these articles have anything much to do with the AI assessment above. For example, I was looking at one of the articles and it was something about people with ADHD not being able to distinguish fear from anger when they see it in other people. I don't really think that is very relateable nor do I see what it has to do with the AI assessment about us having overly expressive faces.

 

[Boogs]

Thanks. I would not have known how to fix it. I just hit the add to clipboard button at the bottom of the AI review and it threw the whole thing together however it did.

It's been my area of 'expertise' (some would dispute that! ) for over thirty years (all I'm good for!), so I see it immediately, no biggie really. I just thought as you'd gone to the trouble of researching these, they mattered.

I wonder if what you're talking about regards understanding feelings, may reflect an element of Alexithymia?
I'm pretty sure I have both versions, and struggle massively to understand any but the most basic emotions in myself.
Frustration (scaling into anger sometimes) and satisfaction are the easiest to appreciate, but ask me if I'm happy and I'll look at you like you're an alien - what is happy? Is that like not being depressed or something?

This extends (in me) to non-emotionally caused sensations such as psychoactive drugs - a common effect of many 'recreational' drugs is euphoria, but I wouldn't know if I felt euphoric if it slapped me in the face and challenged me to a dual! I know unhappy, but not sure if that's just depression or a genuine emotion.

I won't comment on why not to rely on AI too much! (I waffle on about that too often as it is!).