Picking up other people's habits

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Hi, I find that I very quickly pick up other people's body language, way of speaking and habits. They can be real or fictional so I have to be really careful about what I watch because there are some things I do not want to pick up. My friends find it a bit weird sometimes because I do it to the point I remind them of other people by making the same expressions and my speech pattern. I do not know if this is due to my interest/obsession with body language or if it's something others experience too. Does this happen to you? Any funny stories? Do you use it to your advantage like I do?

For me this happens mostly on the level of language.
Part of it comes from watching how others behave in certain situations in order to fit in more easily. (Masking autism, passing more as NT).
The language skills of many auties are based on the practice of scripting, so I don't think some of the things you describe are uncommon here on wrongplanet!

Yes, like JSBACH, it's almost exclusively spoken language for me, I don't tend to pick up body language or other habits. The way that I do this with accents and dialects has almost got me into trouble a few times, when people have thought that I'm mocking the way that they speak - but I don't do it on purpose, and often don't notice unless it's pointed out to me. If I realise myself that I'm doing it, I have no idea how long I've been doing it for. Oddly, if I'm asked to deliberately talk in a different accent, my impersonation is usually terrible!

I sometimes pick up others slang & phrases & expressions others say regularly but I think lots of people do that