Understanding Tone

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Anyone here have difficulty interpreting the tone of another person’s voice? I seem to find that it gets me into a bit of difficulty at times.

For example, I often think my partner’s tone is angry towards me but quite often this isn’t the case. This can sometimes result in arguments, whereby I quickly need to rectify my reactivity because I’ve misunderstood.

Yes, so I ask for clarification before I act/respond. At work I also ask for clarification, but very rarely and its usually checks for understanding. Work EX) I think I heard you say that you would prefer if I worked faster or got this done sooner, am I understanding correctly? Personal EX) Are you upset about something? I am not sure if this is correct but your voice sounds agitated.

No, I think I can interpret the emotion in tone of voice well enough. I don't look at people's faces much, so wording, a bit of body language and tone are the things I've made more use of in fathoming how they might be feeling.

Hi Chaosmos,

I do. My relationship of three years has just ended and one of the problems that led to our demise was that I just couldn't quite understand what was happening in my partner's mind when we were in a serious discussion. I kept reading her face and tone as being more angry with me than she was and when I asked for reassurance she became frustrated with me. In her family, positive affirmations aren't a thing and I tend to thrive on them.

I have just noticed that you also live in Victoria, Australia. I have only just been diagnosed as being autistic.

I would love to learn more about your experiences so that we can compare notes.

MulgaJane.