Tiring of the Brain by Social Interaction

Throughout the course of my day there are certain situations that can interfere with my own ability to comprehend certain things. One thing that does a lot in terms of making my brain tired is heavy interaction with people.

Looking back I noticed that in middle and high school I took a nap after each day. I think it became more of a pattern than anything else. Even when I was in college until a couple months ago, I would still take these naps. I found myself wondering why. The thing I figured out is that interaction with others is taxing for my brain. There are many things that must be interpreted when dealing with people. You have to take into account their body language, spoken language and pick up all of the nuances that go along with their communication towards you. For neurotypicals this is easy enough most of the time.

For Aspies this amount of input gets too much and the brain, at least mine, feels that it needs a break. The body itself is fine but mental exhaustion can hinder the way people act towards others after a prolonged period of time. I myself become a zombie and am unable to partake in critical thinking or meaningful conversation. I have since realized that I do not need a nap per say, just a break from human interaction, a time out if you will, where I am alone for about 15 minutes or so. This time alone works wonders for me. This may be why people like me prefer to be alone much of the time, but have not figured out why for themselves.

The way I like to explain this phenomenon to people is to relate it to being in a group and studying for a test. Everyone in the study group is sitting around and throwing their best ideas on how to remember the material. As the night drags on people start to get the hang of it as their brains fill with a vast amount of information. There does come a point in time, and this almost always happens, that people give up and feel that they can no longer cram anything else in their heads. The group begins to show its signs of fatigue, minds wander and people lose interest and decide to call it a night. They know they should study more but they just can't. The only thing left to do is sleep and hope that they can remember everything for the next day. The same type of feeling is also after a long hard test, say the one being studied for next day. After finishing the test your brain is fried. This is the way I feel when I have to interact with a lot of people for extended periods.

You may notice that someone you know with AS also exhibit these same characteristics. They may also not know how to deal with or even recognize what they are feeling and how to cope with it. Through trial and error they will find a way they can manage. What works for one person may not for another but you won't know until you try. This took me quite a time to figure out as to why I had to nap/take a break. Luckily I did so in college. When I went out until 2-3 am at a party, people would wonder where I went for 15 minutes. This is my explanation as to why.

As always, if you would like to know more on this subject or any other, feel free to ask away.