I believe NTs have minimal anxiety around people.

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When you are relaxed, it is easer to listen and talk back.

I only recently realizedhow anxious I was around people and how much it was effecting my ability to socialize.

Last edited by KevinLA on 27 Feb 2009, 10:16 am, edited 2 times in total.

But NTs do have anxiety when it comes to social situations, I know this, I have seen it.

i havent

There are some NT's (like Donny Osmond) who say they suffer from social anxiety.

I think a (very low) level of social anxiety is common. I see people get embarrassed sometimes and still be able to continue conversing easily. Then you have shy NTs, who might have difficulties, but the difficulties don't approach those associated with autism. Full-blown social anxiety disorder might cause great impairment in the ability to sustain a conversation, though, for both autistics and non-autistics.

Yes.

Several so called "normal" naturally sociable people have openly admitted that they felt nervous when talking to others (such as myself).

Getting up and talking in front of a large captive audience causes some of them great distress, which is odd because I tend to function at my best in these situations but not in small group situations.

You will find Fear of Public Speaking among the NTs. I was a member of Toast Masters International and I found most of the people their were typical. Fear of speaking in public and facing an audience is one of the most common fears for everyone.

ruveyn

I think that's a conditioning thing, not an inborn response in either. Anyone can be socially anxious. It's just that 'NTs' are better at socializing in the expected ways, and thus do not get chided nearly as much for anything they do.

When I observe people, I notice almost everyone seems anxious when they're socializing with people they don't know, especially in close quarters or large parties. Anxiety is a normal response for any social animal, since there's always a battle of finding position, especially in new situations.

I'm less anxious talking with people I'll never see again than I am with people I have to be around frequently, since there is far less emphasis on status. I'm usually the first to start a conversation on a bus or plane, but it's hard for me to get anything started at work. And that's not uncommon, as far as I know.

I have known lots of NTs. One I knew would handle stress by gossiping to other people on the phone, half truths at best. Whenever she could get someone else to agree with her about another person her stress went away. It was a conquest to her. That's what I notice NTs doing. They manipulate others as a way to cope with stress. They are stressed out, sure, but they talk about it to one another until their stress diminishes or is alleviated completely.
So, if you are good at manipulating others, doing that funny thing with your eyes at certain times when you talk to accentuate a word you want them to notice and lisp a bit, you can convince people and relieve your stress at the same time.

Erm, of course they do. Almost everyone gets anxiety, Aspies just tend to have it really bad.

Exactly. There are also NT's who have extreme anxiety issues but don't have AS.

Another yes.

The reason they can have a conversation so easily is because the part of their brain that deals with that sort of stuff actually works properly.

First, what you mean by "NTs"? All non-autistic people? Or only people without any neurological or psychological problem?

Alternately, I don't have much anxiety around people at all. Not "people" in general, only certain people. I don't know if it's because of the lack of cues or if I'm just a more public person, but I can tell you that much.

I've seen some shy and awkward NT's. Somehow they manage to recover from awkward moments very well, mine seem to just get more awkward .

But sometimes I wonder about some people, they seem so carefree when talking to people, like they don't really analyse the situation, there words just flow out together in perfect order.

I think there are plenty of NTs who are shy and experience anxiety when socializing (I read some posts once on a forum for Social Anxiety, and some of the members there suffered from it so badly they were virtually housebound). But I also think the difference is that they understand the other people and know what it is they should be doing/saying - it's just that their nerves hamper them from doing it. It's unlike someone with AS who may actually be confused by the interaction and not be able to grasp the point/underlying meanings/etc. And indeed, there are AS people who say they don't experience any anxiety socially, and they still make those mistakes.