ladyelaine wrote:
People love to say that I'm quiet and hard to get to know. People also love to say that I'm antisocial. I am friendly and I do try to talk with people. People don't give me much of a chance. People ask the same freaking questions every time I see them. I look at these people and think, "Have you ever tried to get to know me?" Why are people like this? What's their deal? Do people do this to any of you?
My sense is that most people, including NT's, don't have a really easy time of getting to know someone. So there are a bunch of stock questions that people ask in an attempt to break the ice. The most cliched one is asking about the weather, but there are many other kinds of small talk question -- do you think Trump will win the nomination, did you see the game last week, where did you grow up, etc. The questions aren't really intended to be important, just to establish some kind of common ground for further exploration. And I think some people have a way of engaging with these questions and moving them beyond the range of banality into genuine interest, and they'll be interpreted as friendly, whereas some of us don't. And that it isn't just whether people make small talk, but of emotional reciprocity. If people sense that you're enjoying the conversation and enjoy talking to them, they'll typically reciprocate.
None of which works very well for a shy person who doesn't bond very well with other people, as I am. If the conversation shifts to a topic in which I'm actually interested, I suddenly become someone else entirely -- an engaged extrovert whom people find really interesting. But usually I can't get past the small talk stage unless the other person is socially gifted and draws me out. So I probably have the same reputation as you do -- quiet and hard to get to know.