Why does socialising cause 'noisiness in the head'?

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Does anyone have any ideas on what causes the 'noisiness-in-head' and mental pain experienced by many Aspie's in socialising?

(My thesis is that the data bounces more violently and loudly round in our brains than in NT's, perhaps as a result of Aspie's having 'hyper-efficient internal communications' in our brains (see ##below). This is deafening, hurting and distracting to us. Thus the way forward may be to slow the velocity and noisiness of this data in our heads. Less pain will also enable us to 'hear' some NT functioning (including use of mirror neurons to enable empathising).
I feel we can do this by simply telling our brains to 'inflate the cushioning', or to 'turn down' the hyper-sensitivity of the communications system, to damp down the data travel. It's like making the edges around a pin-ball machine much softer and more pillowy, and perhaps also filling the machine with some sort of jelly; this will slow down how fast the balls bounce around. I'm optimistic this is beginning to happen with me.

## Martha Herbert of Harvard Medical School found a large excess in autistic brains of white matter (which is understood to be used in information transmission, whereas grey matter is mainly responsible for information processing). This was particularly in frontal areas, and concentrated in short- and medium-range nerve fibres, and suggests hyper-efficient internal communications inside some brain areas (Science, June 2005). Hendry, DeVito et al's findings were similar (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Citation).
unlearningasperger.blogspot.com. )

my head is pretty quiet most times. it repeat itself alot though, especially about a pirticular gem only found in the sonoran desert

Interesting that someone else experiences this.

But also experience fairly much the same "heavy feel of weariness" whenever need to check e-mail; or if the phone rings. So perhaps it is something more than information transmission/processing.

Earplugs help.
A little coffee helps. Perhaps it has to do with dopamine/norepinephrine activation of the prefrontal cortex.

Minimizing contact to essentials helps. Including e-mail.
Am quite fine with locking the office door.

Have gotten rid of the guilt of not answering / turning off the cell.

Having the diagnosis and understanding the condition allows me to avoid "feel badly guilt" about not reciprocating.

Rarely socialize - except when going out with my AS Sweetpea.
But we're about 11,000 miles apart for the next few months so - pretty much asocial, and happy that way.

Just to preface - I speak only for myself.

For me, socializing is like moving down a very busy superhighway, trying to navigate towards a major city. At first it seems straightforward, I drive along but - okay I am getting close to a city - more sounds, more sites, more distractions, more cars. I have to look at my map because I am not exactly sure how to get to where I need to be, but there are no pull offs, so I have to glance at a map in my hand quickly and then looking up quickly to keep an eye on the road ahead. Problem is, the other cars are moving, swerving into my lane, cutting me off, slowing down, passing by me, leaving as fast as I can process them arriving. In the city, the street signs come at me too fast to read and anyway, I have a break down in direction so I am not sure I am even looking at the map in the right orientation. I have someone driving right up against my bumper trying to get by, while I have a large vehicle full of retirees having a good site see in front of me and I can't see around them. I have to get into another lane, but will anyone let me in? Occasionally, but if I want to get in much of the time I have to get more aggressive about it. There are lights, pedestrians, there is my turn - whoops, there goes my turn. I am starting to get frustrated - I am lost, I am not sure where I am going - whoops, just ticked someone off there unintentionally, forgot to signal. Better be careful for the next time, but the traffic is always changing, it is always different. Ah, just blew that stop sign - red lights flashing, I get a "ticket" that I get to think about later. Must get out of this city.

I start to leave the city. Suddenly, I am out in the country and the traffic is thinned. I have more time to react, more time to plan ahead. The noise subsides. I am very happy to be out in the country roads.

So what I would suspect is - a combination of faulty filters and information routing and processing, with no information sink to protect from the inevitable overload and stress of same. Some people are just "better drivers' and can navigate through the city better than others. Just my thoughts on things, for what it is worth.

Yes! And what I hate the most, is that when I come home after socializing, I cannot sleep. I feel like I have an electrical current running along my nerve endings, and I can still hear the voices of those that I spoke with, as well as being forced to view a crazy carousel of all faces seen, over and over. I wake exhausted.

I experience socialising like a kind of brain short circuit. I even see white shards - like glass - in my mind's eye.
it is like information overload - a kind of brain frying and i loathe being with more than one person at a time for this reason. I just cannot keep up with all the processing of the information. I think it may be in line with what the OP says and i also think it is an issue of multi-tasking or lack thereof. i simply cannot keep up with the number of people, the context, the words, the gestures, the facial expressions, the exchanges of information between others and then the information or social banter that is directed my way.

It is like an overwhelming soup of broken glass in the sunshine.

really helpful thanks.

I very much agree with the driving image - problem is for me all that information is still crashing round my head afterwards, when I'm actually back in the country.

I also agree with the comment about it being maybe a problem with multi-tasking. I think maybe AS people are trying to do everything by thinking and systems e.g. trying to ride a bike by thinking through each little movement and balance, wheras maybe NT people manage to just do much of this on 'autopilot' or near sub-consciously, i.e. just 'float' through these social encounters.

many thanks again

Lots of women talking in the hairdressers.

Sadly this is pure torture for me.

It's just blah, blah, blah...

It's like having a lot of snakes hissing and moths flapping together all at once.

And they expect you to talk about mundane things in the midst of all the roar of the hairdryers, distracting clutter, the music and the bright overhead lights.

I prefer it when it's less busy and quieter.

I also like it when then just let me relax and don't barrage me with a whole series of awkward questions.

Going into the hairdressers for me is like stepping into another world. The women mean well there, but it's very unsettling and uncomfortable for me. My gaze is always directed towards all the tools and gadgetry, so I'm distracted.