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TIL why those with autism avoid eye contact; an overactive subcortical system, combined with an imbalance in the excitatory and inhibitory systems, can make eye contact feel like 'burning' (www.sciencedaily.com)

submitted 1 year ago by 58008@lemmy.world to c/TodayILearned@kbin.social

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Direct gaze - that is, eye contact with another person - causes the subcortical system to overload, and the parts of the brain that deal with arousal and calming are failing to strike a balance. The end result is that direct eye contact triggers a physiological response which makes it physically uncomfortable to maintain eye contact.

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[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

For me (am ASD) it always feels a bit overstimulating. A bit like staring at the sun. Or even more, like trying to do complex math in your head while also maintaining a conversation with someone. I am bound to lose my train of thought while keeping eye contact. I have to break it away to actually use my brain