(PhysOrg.com) -- A study from MIT neuroscientists reveals that high-functioning autistic adults appear to have trouble using theory of mind to make moral judgments in certain situations.
I can only tell you about my personal lived experience but it’s because more things feel like lying and I prefer to be moral when possible.
It is extremely common to be told that you have no filter because what people call a filter feels like dishonesty, not telling someone how you really feel about them feels like dishonesty. More things feel like dishonesty and I’m less inclined to do them.
If I lie to someone about something it has to be pretty serious and premeditated.
First, it feels immoral and wrong. My ego doesn’t allow that, or else I think I’m a bad person. It’s a black and white thing for me.
Also, neurologically, the mirror neurons usually don’t work right on autistic people. That’s why we often have difficulties with empathy.
But that also means, that sometimes, we kinda have the feeling that the person you’re speaking to can “read your mind”, even if they can’t of course. But, at least I, then think that it’s super obvious that I’m lying, even if it isn’t, and I get super anxious.
It’s hard to explain.
But social interactions in general are fundamentally based on manipulation, both intentional or not. Being anti-manipulative or radically honest just breaks social norms and is hard to deal with for neurotypical people 🥴
Is it true that autistic persons can be less inclined to lie than “normal” people? If so, why?
I can only tell you about my personal lived experience but it’s because more things feel like lying and I prefer to be moral when possible.
It is extremely common to be told that you have no filter because what people call a filter feels like dishonesty, not telling someone how you really feel about them feels like dishonesty. More things feel like dishonesty and I’m less inclined to do them.
If I lie to someone about something it has to be pretty serious and premeditated.
For me, it’s two things.
First, it feels immoral and wrong. My ego doesn’t allow that, or else I think I’m a bad person. It’s a black and white thing for me.
Also, neurologically, the mirror neurons usually don’t work right on autistic people. That’s why we often have difficulties with empathy. But that also means, that sometimes, we kinda have the feeling that the person you’re speaking to can “read your mind”, even if they can’t of course. But, at least I, then think that it’s super obvious that I’m lying, even if it isn’t, and I get super anxious.
It’s hard to explain.
But social interactions in general are fundamentally based on manipulation, both intentional or not. Being anti-manipulative or radically honest just breaks social norms and is hard to deal with for neurotypical people 🥴