Have people said you look angry (when you're not)?

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This must be a pretty common thing for people with Aspergers and other autistic conditions...and it sure as heck frustrated me for a while (making it somewhat of an ironic comment, in a way! ) It's rare that I get it now b/c of the improvements I've made and awareness that I've consciously practiced...once in a blue moon from my wife I hear it...but usually when I do feel a bit of anger over something. However, when I was about 14-16 years old especially, I got this comment regularly and couldn't for the life of me comprehend why. This was just before the Aspergers diagnosis became published, and nearly a decade before my diagnosis. In hindsight, I think it had to do with a certain intense but glazed look with hunched shoulders, which made me look like a repressed serial killer or something ready to explode (as per the stereotypical ignorant perception of such a demeanour).

I suppose my tendency to respond by looking away (avoiding eye contact) and saying in a low monotone "no, I'm not angry" probably didn't help things.

Things got better though when I took drama lessons at 16 and watched several movies - I was on to something even before my diagnosis. I remember telling my stepmom when she called me on an "anger" look that I responded "well, in future I'll just tell people in advance that I sometimes appear angry when I'm not" - she accused me of being sarcastic, but I was dead-effin serious

I've had people over the years tell me stuff like "Smile!" which only pizzes me off, even if I wasn't pizzed off to begin with, because I just want to say something snarky like "I'll smile when I have a good reason to!" I can't help it that if I'm thinking hard about something and I don't realize what my face looks like, that I look like I'm sour even if I'm really not! I feel like saying "Don't tell me what expression to have on my face, I don't go around telling you and everyone else what their faces should look like!"

People either think I'm

a) upset when I'm not
b) calm when I am most definitely not

At other times people have observed that I look stoned

When they think I look angry they're normally spot on

Sometimes. I've also noticed when I look at myself in the mirror, that I have this angry look on my face. D: I always thought it was just me though. I had no idea it was an autism thing. O_O

Yes.

people say I look sad

Yes, I am constantly told that I am upset or angry. Whenever I respond, my voice seems to confirm their suspicions, but I'm not upset. If I am upset, I don't realize it.

And a lot of people in my freshman class think I am perpetually stoned. They ask me for weed. When I say I don't have any, they either assume that I am lying or that I'm on something a bit harder.

People also think I am cool and collected when I'm not. This is early in the school year, but a lot of people think I'm a natural leader because of that when being forced to lead a group I am filled with a lot of anxiety.

Not angry, but people often think I look sad/depressed.
Nope, it's just my 'neutral' expression which rarely changes.

Pretty often

Several who did not understand my expressions.

I've had people say, "What's wrong?" when nothing is. And then when I am right on the verge of having a meltdown but barely holding together, I apparently look pretty calm, as no one ever says anything then. My brother also one time thought I was angry when I wasn't, I was apparently glaring at the TV while watching Finding Nemo which I was not aware of.

It doesn't happen too often, but it does occasionally.

Occasionally they say I look angry, when I'm not. More often they say I look sad. Perhaps it's because, when around people, I've often got this unconscious half smile thing going on and when it's not there they think I'm sad.

Yes. Sometimes I just say "this is my happy face."

I have noticed that NTs generally behave as if they are performing for a camera, and so they are conditioned to emote in certain ways almost all of the time.