Do Aspies tend to 'think too much'?
Thinking is my favourite past-time. I love to mull things over from different perspectives and work out new perceptions of things, I like to re-evaluate studies to assess the gaps between theory and conclusions to see where the gaps are, and discern patterns in phenomena. For people who don't think as much as me, that may seem like overthinking, but it isn't overthinking for me, it's consistent with the inquiring kind of mind I have and the way I like to apply it. To relax I do quite challenging cryptic crosswords in which the clues are presented as complex riddles which must be solved to get to the answers. Love it!
I have often spent too long thinking about the correct answer to a question. The other person normally gets bored and maybe starts talking to someone else.
I can get confused when trying to buy something. If it's something like toothpaste I buy anything but for many things I do hours and hours of research in the hope that I'll get what I need. I did this in the last week or so when I wanted to buy an instructional book on drawing. I found that one book in particular has a great reputation but I'm not sure if it is in print anymore and even second-hand copies get a good price. Which has to be a good sign, right? Anyway, there's one in the post to me. Other times I get obsessed over something and have to have it. This happened once when I was reading a novel where everyone seemed to use Macs and there is a passage where a woman explains why she loves her Mac. Guess what I'm typing on right now
I hope I never read anything concerning Ferraris!
CockneyRebel
Veteran
Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 121,581
Location: In my own little country
Yes, that's a good example of what I mean. You say yourself 'as if there's a correct answer', so you are aware of that there isn't one, right? And if one day you happened to have eaten in a different pattern you saw that the world didn't crush down because of it.
Another example which I saw was a boy with ASD who should look at a photo with two people on it and 'imagine what they could say next'. That was about reading facial expressions and body language of course, and possibly he wouldn't have got it right because of that, but he didn't even try. instead of giving any answer even if absurd, he constantly said 'I don't know' and finally asked if the solution was written on the back of the card. He couldn't fathom that there's not one single clear-cut answer to these kind of questions and that a NT-person 'knows' just as little what they are going to say next and would just be making assumptions as well.
lostonearth35
Veteran
Joined: 5 Jan 2010
Age: 52
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,930
Location: On a planet where I don't belong.
Anxiety is often an unpleasant side-effect of being an aspie. People with bad anxiety tend to be highly analytical. It's good in some ways, not so much in others. When something unexpected happens that disrupts my normal routine, all the what-ifs start tumbling into my head. Like last week I was worrying and obsessing about a sore throat I had that lasted a week, but it got better and it was just from a cold, I guess. I felt very embarrassed and guilty for making a big deal over something so trivial, even though at night I'd in bed trying to not swallow for as long as possible, plus my nose was completely blocked, which made it even worse. Now I know what it really means to have a frog in your throat. This felt like a big, slimy squirmy frog that was stuck down there, trying to leap back out but couldn't.
There are people who are a lot sicker than I was, with high fevers and diseases of the gastrointestinal system, who try to do everything normally because they "don't have time to be sick". I cannot STAND that! Not only are they putting themselves at risk for getting a lot sicker but they give their germs to everyone else.
But I've gone off topic. That happens a lot too when you think too much. I think. ![]()
Yes, that's a good example of what I mean. You say yourself 'as if there's a correct answer', so you are aware of that there isn't one, right? And if one day you happened to have eaten in a different pattern you saw that the world didn't crush down because of it.
Another example which I saw was a boy with ASD who should look at a photo with two people on it and 'imagine what they could say next'. That was about reading facial expressions and body language of course, and possibly he wouldn't have got it right because of that, but he didn't even try. instead of giving any answer even if absurd, he constantly said 'I don't know' and finally asked if the solution was written on the back of the card. He couldn't fathom that there's not one single clear-cut answer to these kind of questions and that a NT-person 'knows' just as little what they are going to say next and would just be making assumptions as well.
There have been times where I was in a rush to finish eating and lost track of the pattern, and nothing bad happened because of it. If I were worried that the world would end because of it, then I would say I probably have OCD. But it's just that it's easier for me to do things when I don't have to think about them, which is why I do things like impose strict routines on myself and come up with step-by-step plans for how I will deal with various situations.
I can also relate to your example. My friends will sometimes ask me to take guesses about things and I'll just say, "I don't know," over and over because I can't figure out how to come up with something off the top of my head.
_________________
"In this world, there's an invisible magic circle. There's an inside, and an outside. And I am outside." -Anna Sasaki
Yeah, I tend to overthink everything. It can be kind of annoying sometimes, when you might just want to sleep, or go through your day without worrying about everything, for instance. But, it does mean that your brain has plenty of intellectual power which you can put to good use. Sometimes I wish I didn't think quite as much though. It would just be nice to sometimes get a break from the stream-of-consciousness philosophical ramblings, stress, worry, and all the rest.
I've just realised over-thinking is part of my problems with procrastination and inertia.
Much like a chess game, I have analysed every potential complication months ahead, and all it does is paralyse me in the present.
For example for ages, I have been wanting to get a pet ferret. But then I think what if my housing application goes through and I end up in a place that doesn't allow pets? What if I get work and I'm not around enough to give it enough attention? What happens if I get kicked out / have to run and wind up back on the street? How will I care for a pet then? What if I don't have my travel structures built in time and I get a harvest job?
The likelihood of any of these things actually happening is minimal, but it has stopped me from getting a pet for years when I could have been enjoying having a pet all this time.
It goes for getting involved with anything. I can't get involved with a class because what happens when I move (and I always move)? What happens if I run out of money? What about if I have a problem with someone there, and then feel obligated to keep going when I don't want to? What about travel to the venue if I move afield?
I've foreseen every possibly complication that could ever go wrong and it keeps me from engaging in anything in the present. It's a bad habit and needs to stop. Being analytical and thinking ahead is fine. Overdoing that to constantly and forever sabotage yourself in the present isn't.
_________________
Alexithymia - 147 points.
Low-Verbal.
