I have discovered rather later in life that I have Asperger's Syndrome. This is not an illness as far as I am concerned, just a different way of thinking and interacting socially. However, it does cause some amount of trouble for me, on several levels.
The most basic level I have discerned is that my facial expressions do not mirror those of NTs. This leads to a lot of misunderstanding of others concerning my personality. I would like to correct for my facial expressions.
My experiment includes setting up a webcam on my work computer, running at all times so I can check my expression from time to time.
What I have seen during this first few hours of monitoring my face is my very intense face, both eyebrows scrunched, mouth downturned. Anger could easily be the interpretation others may come to if they were watching my "work face".
What I have discovered is that if I hold a small smile, the muscles around my eyebrows are unable to scruntch into the frowning position.
I can tell that trying to hold this small smile is not just an exercise in appearing more like an NT, and therefore, making me more inviting and approachable to others, but is also a good exercise in general for facial muscles. Added to that is my knowledge that the brain does not know the difference between a fake or real smile; either results in the release of dopamine, the feel good hormone. I think that increased levels of dopamine will also help me to smile more naturally, so it's a good cycle.
I need to take some photos and upload to my blog...Aspie face and Academy Award NT face.
8.15.11
No comments:
Post a Comment