NTs have a ''sixth sense''?

Post Reply New Topic

I can explain. I notice people can spot other people they know very quickly and easily (only on the very odd occasion I have seen people rush past me and not seen me but that's probably because they're in a rush or in a bad mood and don't feel like talking to anyone). But, from what I've seen, it seems that people seem to sense that there's somebody they know, and they automatically look their way to speak. Like today I was walking in the town with my mum, and over a busy road my mum noticed a woman we both know, and this woman was looking down and walking incredibly fast so we thought we won't wave, but then something made her look towards us, spot who we are straight away, and wave.

Even when you're in a car, and you see someone walking along, they spot you and wave, even if they don't know your car or numberplate very well. It seems that people are very sharp, even if they haven't got very strong eyesight or get lost in their thoughts (yes, some NTs can too), because I don't ever see them gawping into every car that goes by like I would have to if I wanted to spot someone I knew.

Or maybe they DO gawp into every car or bus going by. Perhaps that explains why I get looked at so much by anyone, whether I'm sitting in a car or on a bus or walking in the street, perhaps people are so observant with everybody that they still have to look to some extent.

Or unless they just can sense there is somebody they know, and just instinctively turn round to look. What do you think?

Last edited by Joe90 on 09 Aug 2012, 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sometimes my husband says he passed me on the road, but I didn't see him at all, even though he was driving a very notable vehicle--an enormous antique red truck. I don't see how he noticed me, since our car is so nondescript.

I think we are just more focused on what we are doing to notice people very well,I never notice familiar people when I'm driving since I'm so into paying attention to what I'm doing.My ex (N.T.)would always notice familiar people in passing cars but I never did unless he said something.I think they just multi-task better plus better facial recognition.

I don't think it is a sixth sense. I think that their subconscious brain processes what they see and alerts them to the fact that there is something they need to look up for. One thing that others have mentioned is that we often get deeper in thought than NTs, and another thing is that, in regards to people, ASD people often experience more difficulty in recognising faces (I do, but I'm not saying everyone on the spectrum does, or even necessarily most.)

That said, I very much doubt subconsciously noticing things is exclusive to NTs

I have Asperger's, yet sometimes, I notice people I know and I'm good at remembering and recognizing faces. However, my reaction to seeing someone I know is more like, "Crap, he sees me, now I have to talk to him..."

I feel exactly the same way sometimes I personally feel if I don't say something, I am being disrespectful. Everybody is in their own world and thinks everything else revolves around them. I always try and remember this because my tendency is to isolate and not seek communication with others.

I don't suffer with faceblindness (I'm more of an object-blindness Aspie), I can recognise faces and names just like anyone else normally can, but I don't tend to spot people so quickly because I'm not looking at people (due to the fear of catching someone's eye then worrying about them looking at me), so I keep my head down and then miss out people who I know. Even if I was looking up and around at people, I still don't seem to spot people very well, probably because I'm normally looking the wrong way or concentrating so much on trying to look out for different people that I kind of overdo it then still walk straight by people who I know. I think another reason is I don't like to look at people as they pass right by me because they might think I'm staring at them, and I don't like making other people feel uncomfortable.

Also I've been observing NT behaviour (as always) and when I'm with people I always see them gawking at other passers, which is probably how they manage to spot others they know so efficiently. I am still debating to myself on whether I should face my fear by making eye contact with every stranger that passes by and see if I can then spot who people are and then not miss people that I know, and see if it works that way, until I become more confident then making eye contact with strangers will become a natural thing.

But I still think NTs are more people-orientated, and so are always prepared to see someone they know in the street and are looking around at every person's face without realising it. Also maybe they have better periphery vision, where they can see who somebody is in the corner of their eye, where as I just see a figure in the corner of my eye, not their actual personal details.

That's odd because I always get the impression that most people I come across are walking around blind, or at least with tunnel vision. They just don't seem to notice half the things I do

My first reaction to this is 'nah...'

I am still debating to myself on whether I should face my fear by making eye contact with every stranger that passes by


In my experience, at least, that sort of fear facing just makes things worse and never actually decreases one's fear because the reality is as bad as the fear suggests, and the negative experiences just confirm the fear, reinforcing it.

Back on topic, its probably likely that we just don't notice people as much because we don't want to.

Besides, most people are very predictable and walk the same routes, shop at the same shops, catch the same bus train etc, read one newspaper, drink and/or socialise in one or a handful of places, speak to the same people, etc etc... and at the same time each time.
It's really not that hard to work out peoples' routines ... and once you know them(consciously or not!) it's really not that hard to guess who you'll see in the street etc

Hmm, a little bit ironic there - I thought it was Aspies who are the ones that go the same routes and go to the same places, et cetera (plenty of threads that suggest that here on WP).

It is weird that perception, whereas in reality I (and of course I can only speak for myself on this) am probably LESS predictable than most NTs when going about town, for the following reasons:
- constantly losing track of time
- sometimes just can't get going
- I may just change my regular shop, pub etc due to changes such as lighting, heating, in-store music choice, staff members, layout chances, etc.
- bad executive function
- Since a young age I learned to vary routes to make it harder for bullies to find me.

By my observation people tend to be pretty lazy -when they have a routine route it's easier to repeat it every day without thinking than to change it every time... regardless of their neurology.

Well, like I said, I think people can spot others easier because:-

-they are making more eye-contact with everyone in sight
-they have better periphery vision
-they can sense when there's somebody they know

I was on the bus the other day with my friend (who never gets this bus), and she was looking at me talking (so was facing away from the window), and suddenly my friend yelled, ''oh, look, there's [name] over there'', and looked out of the window to wave, and the person she waved to was waving too, and I thought, ''you wasn't even looking out of the window and you managed to see somebody you just about know!'', and the person she knew probably didn't expect my friend to be on this bus but still somehow spotted her. I never tend to spot anybody just like that, unless I happen to be actually looking up at people at the right time.