Understanding neurotypicals – Part I
Neurotypicals tend to have a low-resolution view of the world
One of the most difficult things to keep in mind while interacting with neurotypicals is that they see the world in a lower resolution than you do.
People on the spectrum have a tendency to be precise, even in the details. Conversely, neurotypicals tend to have a “broader focus” and to disregard details as incoherences (even if they are correct!). Let me explain with an example.
The sentence “most vaccines are safe, almost all are safer than unprotected exposure to pathogens, but a few of them cause rare cases of adverse reactions” is scientifically true. However, if you present it to a few neurotypicals, a few of them would reply with “that’s false, all vaccines are safe”.
That’s a question of resolution. People on the spectrum tend to have a higher resolution and prefer correctness in the details. If three sentences are necessary to describe vaccines, three sentences will be used.
Neurotypicals, instead, tend to have a lower resolution and prefer descriptions that make sense “in the bigger picture” (we’ll see later what this means exactly). For most of them, “vaccines are safe” is a true statement, even if some would concede that there are rare exceptions. Most importantly, they would not see these as violations of the standalone statement “vaccines are safe”.
A visual example
If shown the sentence “You can go hunting with a knife and…”, neurotypicals tend to complete it with “…catch a bear” whereas people on the spectrum tend to complete it with “…and a fork”.
The reason is that people on the spectrum see reality as if through a high-definition, high-zoom, high-resolution magnifying glass which amplifies details and reduces context.
If all you can see is the content of the image below, you will complete the sentence with “…and a fork”.
Conversely, neurotypicals tend to see reality as if through a low-resolution glass that allows for broader context.
As they keep a broader context in their mind, they select the answer that is most coherent with the broader context, rather than with the details of the words locally near.
Because their metaphorical magnifying glass has a lower resolution, neurotypicals will tend to make statements that make sense in general, regardless of the details. Details can always be zoomed in later.
The implications
If you try to communicate with a neurotypical, you might get frustrated by his “imprecisions” whereas he might get annoyed by your “formal correctness” or “attention to detail”.
It is key that you understand that neither of you is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. Both of you are correct when analyzing the situation at your own resolution.
One way of describing the world is more realistic for those who see the world at a lower resolution, and the other way of describing the world represents reality more precisely for those who see the worlds at a higher resolution.
If you want to have better conversations with neurotypicals, you have two possibilities:
Show them this article, make them understand your point of view, ask them to be more tolerant of your attention for detail and formal correctness and let them see where it comes from.
Adapt your communication style to one that can be better understood by neurotypicals. Force yourself to use shorter descriptions for complex concepts. Strive to describe them “in a single sentence” and accept the uncomfortableness, knowing that it doesn’t matter for others if you are not fully precise.
The last sentence will probably be the hardest to accept. But the way forward – if you want to have better conversations with neurotypicals – is to acknowledge the uncomfortableness and yet make a small step, try to be a bit more imprecise during your next conversation, see that nothing negative happens, perhaps the chat becomes even more fluid. And if it’s the case, make a second small step, and a third one, and so on.
In any case, if they mention something regarding your impreciseness (they won’t) you can always say “what I meant is…” and continue that way.
But try making the small step. You’ll see that the need for precision is not universal.
Next…
Next Tuesday you’ll receive the second part of this series. If you have any questions, or wish for a topic to be discussed, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or write me at Luca@Luca-Dellanna.com.