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Sounds to me like the best way forward is to work out your social difficulties. I also struggled with social cues for a long time, but just because it doesn't come naturally to you doesn't mean you can't learn. Ultimately, social interactions are just a complex game, full of rules for which statements and actions are appropriate in which situations. Most people understand this by intuition, but you can do it via simple practice and memorization; worked for me.
I am an introvert. Or 80% introvert, 20% extrovert. I feel like I could be perfectly fine as a hermit, but there are varying reasons why I wouldn't want to just hoof it to the mountains and live in solitude (I enjoy computers, for example, and the Internet, which is one of the few places I'm socially outgoing, if it could even be called that). I think, though I could be wrong, that I have two problems that exacerbate one another. I don't like talking to people (I would even call it physically painful at times), and I don't know how. But obviously it's required for our society.
It's made more complicated by that it's another person you'd have to interact with to learn. And unless they understood and agreed to helping you with it, you'd have to worry about them taking things the wrong way. Which I would say stunts growth.
I love learning. I can read all day. But, I've yet to read something that actually helps me with talking to others.
I'm hoping experience is all I need. Now getting it, that's the harder part for me.
Reading won't get you far, but observation can. Even just being in the same room with others who are having a conversation is a good way too improve by watching and learning from how they behave. Think of it like studying any academic subject, though through direct observation.
Admittedly though, one can't learn to swim without getting in the water. If you want to improve, at some point you'll have to expose yourself to socialization and build up a tolerance for it. I recommend either using a formal excuse to contact people like school or work, or getting in touch with a local group that shares one of your interests. If the latter, make sure it's a mainstream interest; much as I love playing games, my local Smash Bros. tourney group isn't exactly full of paragon socialites.
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[–] Stanley_Yelnats_IV 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Sounds to me like the best way forward is to work out your social difficulties. I also struggled with social cues for a long time, but just because it doesn't come naturally to you doesn't mean you can't learn. Ultimately, social interactions are just a complex game, full of rules for which statements and actions are appropriate in which situations. Most people understand this by intuition, but you can do it via simple practice and memorization; worked for me.
[–] TremorAcePV [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I am an introvert. Or 80% introvert, 20% extrovert. I feel like I could be perfectly fine as a hermit, but there are varying reasons why I wouldn't want to just hoof it to the mountains and live in solitude (I enjoy computers, for example, and the Internet, which is one of the few places I'm socially outgoing, if it could even be called that). I think, though I could be wrong, that I have two problems that exacerbate one another. I don't like talking to people (I would even call it physically painful at times), and I don't know how. But obviously it's required for our society.
It's made more complicated by that it's another person you'd have to interact with to learn. And unless they understood and agreed to helping you with it, you'd have to worry about them taking things the wrong way. Which I would say stunts growth.
I love learning. I can read all day. But, I've yet to read something that actually helps me with talking to others.
I'm hoping experience is all I need. Now getting it, that's the harder part for me.
[–] Stanley_Yelnats_IV 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Reading won't get you far, but observation can. Even just being in the same room with others who are having a conversation is a good way too improve by watching and learning from how they behave. Think of it like studying any academic subject, though through direct observation.
Admittedly though, one can't learn to swim without getting in the water. If you want to improve, at some point you'll have to expose yourself to socialization and build up a tolerance for it. I recommend either using a formal excuse to contact people like school or work, or getting in touch with a local group that shares one of your interests. If the latter, make sure it's a mainstream interest; much as I love playing games, my local Smash Bros. tourney group isn't exactly full of paragon socialites.