Do autistic traits increase/decrease with stress/happiness?

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I've tried to google this, but I couldn't find it.

Does it happen to anyone that his/her aspie characteristics increase with stress (due to any factor)?

And reversely, they decrease with stress alleviation or happiness (again any factor)?

Stress absolutely affects our autistic traits. I don't think that the traits increase/decrease per se, but that we are able to "fake NT" to some extent to fit in better when we're not too stressed, but when we become more stressed we are less able to do that and therefore our autistic traits are more apparent and harder to suppress/mask/handle.

My autistic traits show a lot more when I'm stressed and the more stressed I am, the less I'm able to "fake NT" or function the way NT society expects me to.

This is because "faking NT" is just one of the many things to "juggle" mentally, along with all the sensory stimulus and other processing. So with stress, (excessive stimulus, physical or social), the ability to keep "faking NT" can't receive as much conscious attention.

Yes?

Last edited by Burnbridge on 25 Nov 2011, 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

Alright, that makes sense. Thanks for the replies guys

If I am working on manual projects, like screen printing or cooking, I actually like a good bit of stress. Like a deadline, or pressure to do things faster. It increases my physical and visual skills, and lets me blot out the world so I can focus on the work.

The reverse is true with social projects. Can't handle stress at a party or family gathering or work meeting, have to leave.

Actually I also have another similar question.

Are there any traits that (apparently) increase or decrease with age?

I'm not sure on this one really. I think my anxiety disorder and my nerves bring out Aspie traits more (but appears ret*d to other people), but my anxiety is practically based around my fear of rejection and humiliation. Maybe if I wasn't so anxious over this, my Aspie traits still might be visible in another way because if I weren't over self-conscious/self-aware then I probably wouldn't care showing Aspie traits, if that makes sense.

Many autistic traits appear to decrease with age. Our social skills, coping skills and "acting"/mimicking (faking NT) skills usually improve with age. The more experiences we have in life, the more known situations we have in our database to help us prepare for similar future experiences. Therefore autistic traits usually appear to become milder with age. It's not that the traits actually decrease, but that we've had more time to learn coping skills.

I think it's a lot less common for autistic traits to increase/become more apparent with age, although I'm sure that possibility exists.

So it's connected with psychological problems as well, right? Along with aspergers, many of us have purely psychological problems as well. But are those easier, to tackle or more difficult?

I'm still trying to figure out if I have it or not, but I feel like I am more normal, in a way, when I am not under stress. First, when I am stressed, I am more likely to be INTENSELY bothered by something that bothers me, so I am more likely to be irritable and snap at people without being able to control it. Second, if I am lacking something I need (food, sleep, etc.), I usually care more about meeting my needs than about how I'm coming off to people. I find that I become quite selfish and socially oblivious in these situations.

I believe in my case I have been able to express myself better with a lower level of anxiety. However, sometimes when I get happy, I am far more goofy and will run around humming, singing, hand flapping, hugging my close family, and being "weird". And if I can be myself and do those things with my family or a very close friend, it makes me feel even happier and less stressed so I do them even more. ha!

My desire to be alone and avoid talking has increased to about the same extent as my tolerance for noise and bustle has decreased over the years. I never managed to get used to the hassle which is common at malls and the like and feel that i try to avoid this kind of stress even more than i did in my twenties or thirties. I'm 52 and think my odd traits are more obvious now.

Actually, I thought this through again. When I'm in a really good mood, I can appear more confident, but when I'm in a bad mood, I get pavement rage, where I go around muttering inappropriate things about people who get in my way, which makes it more difficult to hide my Aspie traits. Well, I know muttering inappropriate things doesn't look Aspie to other people, but it's still notable.

That's very true. When I was about 13, I used to go crazy in public if there was a toddler screaming near me. I would try pulling out my hair in a rage, and stamp my feet, and swear loud enough for others around to hear, and storm out of the shop or restaurant angrily, intentionally knocking over something on the way so that everybody could see how irritated I am, and it used to embarrass my mum greatly. And it was all because the sensory overload of the noise was too overwhelming for me, and I didn't know how to block it out and stay cool.
I still really loathe the sound of screaming toddlers as much as I did back then, but now I know how to keep my actions under control more. I get a little irritated, and I have shown my irritation before, but not enough to be notable and embarrassing like I used to be. So that proves that I have learnt to develop more self control as I've gotten older.

I find I tend to act more autistic when I'm feeling strong emotions - doesn't matter if they're good or bad.

Sensory issues typically decrease with age.

Obsessive interests don't exactly increase or decrease, but tend to change form - in younger or lower functioning autistics it's more likely to be repetitive behaviors (eg lining things up) or sensory interests, while in older higher functioning autistics it's more often intellectual topics (eg geography). So you'll often see an HFA kid shift from the one pattern to the other with age.

Yes to both. Sometimes when I am excited, I can show odd behavior if I don't hold it in. But if I am calm, I have less traits. Same as if I can control my environment and if things go my way.