Autism and Empathy: Cognitive vs Affective Empathy #audhd #autism #neurodivergent #empathy

[melaleuca]

You just described one of my biggest struggles growing up and to this day. As close to literally feeling the weight of the world as a person can probably get.

[possiblelily]

“Every sad dog in the world”. Instant tears 😭

[mpkartist]

When I was 4 I sent a Valentine to Charlie Brown because I had an emotional breakdown over the fact he didn’t get a single one

[MullingInk]

AuDHD - My theory for myself is that I have perhaps very strong mirror neurons or that anything inhibitory that was supposed to develop just didn’t. I will end up in tears just from seeing the little roadside memorials that people leave when someone has died in a car accident or something. I don’t think about all the other incidences of that, but I get so emotionally struck and stuck by other people’s emotions even if I’m just mentally connecting a stuffed animal and balloon at the side of the road to someone’s grief and loss that they would be feeling in that situation.
I get incredibly emotional seeing things like the Fellowship grieving after Gandalf falls. It doesn’t matter that I know it ends well and he’s not even dead. It’s their grief and loss that I can’t not feel myself and it’s so painful and overwhelming.
I’m also extremely susceptible to the emotion of books or music and have a very hard time pulling myself out of the depression of bad endings or sad music without the help of reading or listening to something genuinely upbeat and happy. It makes media feel like a dangerous mind-altering substance that I have to avoid.

[crazyratlady]

Add to this difference the fact that it can take some autistic people a lot longer to process information. It can take a while for the emotions to hit, and it can take a while to sort through that emotion and figure out what it actually is and what triggered it. Ie, I watch something about an injustice and at the time I may seem like I'm not having much of a reaction, but over the next few days the affective empathy starts to kick in... but it's been so long, I don't automatically attribute the emotions to the thing I watched. I need to take time to reflect, process and decide what, if any, changes I might need to make to my own behaviour.

[allisonteetsel]

You know John Coffey in the Green Mile? It's like that. I'm tired, boss.

[JustMel]

The way I actually sobbed over a sad dog video for half an hour 💀

[ShaySaysSo]

I'm a HSP and this is me! To the point where my parents had to prevent me watching any saddening content, even cartoons, when I was little. I would cry non-stop. If I see anyone suffering, I suffer. To this day I still can't watch the news, the world is so full of cruelty.

[TheKaliedescope]

This concept. Connect that over to the autistic awareness of injustice.

[AmusedAtMusing]

That’s fascinating! Thank you for all the wonderful information you bring to light (I love your fork/spork theory 😊)! I recently read about some studies where they’re beginning to realize that autistic people understand and converse well with other autistic people. Neurotypical people understand and converse well with other Neurotypical people, but communication breaks down and doesn’t work as well when there’s one person from each group. I wonder if larger differences in these two types of empathy have just been a case of “lost in translation” much like the narrative that those with autism are somehow “bad communicators” (when really it’s that autistic and neurotypical people only struggle with the unfamiliar style of the other group). Random ramblings as I wondered this out loud today 🤣💕

[gracehampton]

I was just saying I feel like a lot of my empathy comes not from understanding an individual’s experience but compiling and understanding that so many ppl are going through the same horrible thing likely even simultaneously and also likely feeling alone

[bradley]

Yup... And sometimes people don't like when you say what they are feeling or thinking lol

[orionstarr]

I am such a sap i cry at commercials or weird "inappropriate" times in shows

[lorneytunes]

I saw a person fighting off a dog that was attacking their dog this evening and needed time to calm down afterwards

[timpeters]

My affective empathy really just goes into overdrive with shared experiences but most other times I feel sympathy but not empathy so much...

[Amazon_]

Yep. Can’t hear *that song* by Sarah McLaughlin without thinking about the commercial

[madisonreidfisher]

I would change the channel so fast when that Sarah Mclachlan song came on the tv…

[Strix]

I tend to have more feelings if I can relate to it. For that reason alone I tell my friends to never ask me for help with relationship issues or breakups.

[johnnycash]

Wow you did such an amazing job describing this awesome work ma'am thank you very much for this video😊

[victoriazamora]

omg this explains so much. thank you for talking about this