Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

There is currently misinformation being spread that autism is caused by Tylenol/Paracetamol, there is currently no compelling evidence to support this claim, and large studies which suggest this isn't the case (like the one shared below).

Autistic people are also not a "horrible crisis", autistic people are humans with strengths and challenges just trying to find their place in a world that can feel like strangers in a foreign land, waking up where you don't understand the language & behaviours, both verbal and nonverbal, or the customs & rules and where everything is over-stimulating and confusing, but you are treated as if you should just 'know' how to fit in like everyone else, you should just know the language, the verbal & nonverbal behaviours, customs, rituals & rules, and you shouldn't be finding the environment overstimulating or have a problem with the food, etc...

Autistic people often need compassion, love and support, being treated as different, not disordered.


Ahlqvist, V. H., Sjöqvist, H., Dalman, C., Karlsson, H., Stephansson, O., Johansson, S., Magnusson, C., Gardner, R. M., & Lee, B. K. (2024). Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. JAMA, 331(14), 1205–1214. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.3172

2 months ago | [YT] | 12

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

Voice Dynamics: Speaking to Both Awareness and Non-Conscious Processes

In hypnotherapy, communication is more than just words. The tone, rhythm, and pacing of your voice can significantly influence the effectiveness of suggestions. Voice dynamics play a critical role in engaging both a client’s conscious awareness and their non-conscious processes, fostering a therapeutic environment where meaningful change can occur.

The Importance of Voice Dynamics
Voice dynamics refers to how you use elements like volume, tone, pitch, and timing to communicate effectively. While words capture a client’s conscious attention, your voice can carry suggestions directly to their non-conscious awareness. This dual-layered communication creates a sense of connection and allows your messages to resonate on a deeper level.

For example, a steady, clear tone might engage conscious awareness, while a softer, slower phrase on introspective words can subtly encourage non-conscious exploration. By varying your delivery, you can guide clients through a journey of focus, curiosity, and discovery.

How to Use Voice Dynamics in Hypnotherapy
Using voice dynamics effectively requires intentionality and practice. Here are three strategies to help you integrate this technique into your sessions:

1. Vary Your Tone and Volume
A steady, confident tone can create a sense of trust and authority, while a softer, gentler tone can invite relaxation and introspection. For example, saying, “Now, as you begin to relax,” shifting your tone on "begin to relax" to a soothing tone, encourages the client’s non-conscious processes to engage without overt pressure.

2. Pace Your Delivery
Slowing your speech and introducing strategic pauses gives clients time to process suggestions. For instance, after asking, “I wonder what it feels like to truly let go…,” pausing briefly allows the client’s non-conscious to explore the idea without interference from conscious reasoning. You can enhance this further, by pausing for a moment just before saying "let go..." and then saying this with a pronounced deep, outbreath.

3. Use Emphasis to Guide Focus
Emphasising key words or phrases as I've mentioned above can direct the client’s attention to specific ideas. Saying, “You might notice how comfortable you feel…” with slight emphasis on “notice” encourages the client to shift their focus inward in search of the comfort, while implying comfort is present. You could reword this slightly to "You might notice how you feel comfortable..." adding the slight emphasis on "feel comfortable..." and rather than giving the message to "notice" you give a suggestion for experiencing comfort, so it is more directive toward non-conscious processes developing comfort, it isn't just about noticing, but about experiencing, and there is a distinction. For example, you can have arthritic pain in a wrist and notice the pain there without feeling the pain, or you can feel the pain without noticing it. You can also notice it is now comfortable without feeling anything in that wrist, you just 'know' it is comfortably, or experience it as comfortable without paying it any conscious attention and so not noticing it.

Building Trust Through Voice
Your voice is one of the most immediate ways to establish trust and rapport with clients. A calm, supportive tone reassures clients that they are in a safe space, while deliberate pacing shows that you are attuned to their needs. Consistency in your delivery gives a sense of reliability, which is crucial for effective hypnotherapy.

Practical Applications of Voice Dynamics
Match the Client’s Energy (within reason and aligned with who you are as a person): Start by aligning your tone and pace with the client’s current state, then gradually shift to guide them toward a desired state of relaxation or focus.
Experiment with Pauses: Use pauses not only to give the client time to process but also to observe how they respond. Their body language or subtle changes in breathing can offer valuable insights.

Practice Active Listening: Adjust your voice based on the client’s feedback, ensuring that your communication remains responsive and adaptive.

Takeaway Question
Why are voice dynamics important in hypnotherapy?

10 months ago | [YT] | 9

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

Utilizing Childhood Associations in Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy often involves accessing deeper, non-conscious processes to help clients resolve issues or make meaningful changes. One powerful method for doing this is through the use of childhood associations. By evoking memories and responses linked to early experiences, therapists can tap into a client’s natural curiosity, creativity, and receptivity to new ideas, it is also a time when they were more hypnotically receptive.

Why Childhood Associations Work
Childhood is a formative time when patterns of thought, emotion, and behaviour are established. During these years, the mind is highly impressionable and responsive to suggestion. By referencing or recreating aspects of childhood, hypnotherapists can evoke these non-conscious patterns of responding, bypassing learned conscious defences or resistance.

For instance, as children, we failed to stand up thousands of times, but never quit, we failed to walk thousands of times without giving up, we learned an entire language without any formal lessons, just through mimicking and trial and error. We hadn't learned many of the limits adults place upon themselves.

Paraphrasing Milton Erickson, he famously said that if children had to learn to walk with adult minds, no adults would be able to walk, most of us would have quit by our third failed attempt.
If these innate, non-conscious patterns of responding are stimulated, then they will be active while engaging in hypnosis or addressing the presenting problem, which can help the hypnotherapist to get better outcomes.

How to Use Childhood Associations Effectively
Incorporating childhood associations into hypnotherapy requires sensitivity and creativity. Here are three strategies for using this approach:

1. Draw on Familiar Childhood Experiences
Referencing universal childhood experiences, such as learning to walk or discovering something for the first time, can help clients connect to feelings of curiosity, persistence, or accomplishment. For example, the hypnotherapist might say, “The way children learn to walk is fascinating, they often start by learning to stand, perhaps leaning on a chair or the parents hands or knees, then they try to take a step, but as they lift a leg off of the ground, they topple over. Eventually, after hundreds of attempts, they manage to take a first step while still perhaps holding the parents fingers, then another and another. The parent gently supporting and guiding them, while they do the work, then at some unknown point they no longer need to hold onto anything to be able to walk, and this is at a time where each day that they wake up, their legs have gotten longer and their whole body has changed size and so the centre of mass has shifted and they have to learn to adapt every single day to the changes within themselves as they master the art of walking, until eventually it becomes instinctive and just a part of who they are.”

2. Use Simple, Playful Language
Language that mimics the tone and simplicity of childhood can engage non-conscious processes more effectively and helps to elicit or encourage the state of mind the hypnotherapist would like the client to be in. So, it is best for the hypnotherapist to talk almost as if they are talking to someone of the age they are trying to evoke patterns from. What this does, is it encourages the client to start to take on the role as if they are that younger age.

3. Recreate a Sense of Wonder
Asking questions that evoke curiosity, such as, “Remember what it was like as a child, when you curl up with an engaging story book?” or "Remember what it was like as a child, when you take cereal boxes and turn them into a spaceship or fort, powered by your imagination?" encourages clients to explore new possibilities without pressure or expectation by stimulating the neural patterns involved in creative exploration of ideas. Something you may have noticed here is the technique I used in formulating those questions. I started off with 'was', to evoke the past experience, and then moved to talking in present tense to encourage the client to experience that in the here and now.

Takeaway Question
Why are childhood associations effective in hypnotherapy?

10 months ago | [YT] | 6

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

The Microdynamics of Hypnotic Suggestion

Hypnosis is a collaborative process that involves guiding a client’s attention and awareness in ways that facilitate meaningful change. A key aspect of this process is understanding the microdynamics of hypnotic suggestion—the subtle, interconnected steps that allow therapists to evoke hypnosis and enable therapeutic outcomes. By appreciating how these steps work together, hypnotherapists can refine their techniques and achieve greater effectiveness in their practice.

The Stages of Hypnotic Suggestion
Hypnotic suggestion involves a sequence of stages that engage both conscious awareness and non-conscious processes. These stages create a framework for guiding clients toward deeper understanding and behavioural shifts. These are the key components:

1. Focusing Attention
The process begins by narrowing the client’s focus. This could involve using storytelling, imagery, or specific questions that draw the client’s attention inward. For example, asking, “Have you ever noticed how your breathing feels when you’re completely at ease?” invites the client to focus on a specific aspect of their experience, paving the way for deeper engagement.

2. Depotentiating Habitual Patterns
Once attention is focused, the next step is to disrupt habitual thought patterns that may contribute to resistance. Techniques like presenting contradictions or using humour can achieve this. By gently unsettling the client’s usual ways of thinking, the therapist opens a space for new perspectives and possibilities to emerge.

3. Engaging Non-Conscious Processes
With habitual patterns disrupted, the therapist introduces suggestions that engage non-conscious awareness. This might involve metaphors, open-ended questions, or pauses that encourage the client to explore possibilities without conscious interference. For instance, saying, “And as you wonder what comes next, you might begin to notice…” prompts non-conscious exploration.

4. Facilitating a Response
Effective suggestions often elicit subtle responses, such as physical sensations or shifts in thought. These responses reinforce the client’s engagement and signal that the process is taking hold. Encouraging the client to notice these changes deepens their involvement and builds momentum for further progress.

Why the Microdynamics Matter
Each stage of hypnotic suggestion contributes to creating an environment where clients feel safe and open to change. By understanding these stages, therapists can craft suggestions that align with their client’s needs and goals. The microdynamics also emphasise the importance of collaboration—hypnosis is not something “done to” the client but a shared process of discovery.

Practical Applications
To incorporate the microdynamics of suggestion into your practice, consider these tips:

Use Strategic Pauses: Pauses give clients time to process suggestions and engage non-conscious awareness.

Tailor Your Approach: Align your language and techniques with the client’s unique context and preferences.

Observe Responses: Pay attention to subtle signs of engagement, such as changes in posture or facial expression, and adjust your approach accordingly.

Takeaway Question
To help consolidate this learning, here’s a question to consider: Why are the microdynamics of hypnotic suggestion important?

11 months ago | [YT] | 7

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

Shock and Surprise: Using the Unexpected to Induce Hypnosis


The therapeutic use of hypnosis often involves leading clients into a state of focused attention where positive change can take root. Among the many tools available to hypnotherapists, one of the most powerful and subtle is the use of shock and surprise. By presenting clients with unexpected or unusual suggestions or ideas, therapists can bypass habitual patterns and engage non-conscious processes in a transformative way.

Why Shock and Surprise Work
Shock and surprise are effective because they disrupt predictable thought patterns. When a client encounters something unexpected, their usual defences and resistance often falter. This creates a moment of cognitive openness, seeking clarity, allowing for new ideas or suggestions to take hold. For example, a therapist might ask, “Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to write backwards with your non-dominant hand?” This unusual question disrupts the client’s logical thought processes and invites them to non-consciously explore the idea.
This approach is rooted in the principle of de-potentiating conscious awareness. By introducing an element of surprise, the therapist gently unsettles the client’s focus on conscious resistance, allowing their attention to shift inward. This facilitates access to deeper, non-conscious patterns and processes where change can occur.

How to Use Shock and Surprise in Hypnotherapy
Integrating shock and surprise into your practice requires creativity and sensitivity, it isn't all about shocking induction practices like you might see at a stage hypnosis show, it can be a subtle and gentle experience. Here are three strategies to help you use this technique effectively:

1. Introduce Unfamiliar Possibilities
Pose questions or suggestions that encourage the client to think in novel ways. For example, “What would it feel like if your thoughts could float away like balloons?” This kind of imagery disrupts habitual cognitive processes, is probably something the client has never been asked to think about before and promotes non-conscious engagement.

2. Challenge Predictable Patterns
Gently guide clients to consider alternatives to their usual behaviours or beliefs. For example, if a client feels stuck, you might say, “I wonder how it would feel to be stuck… but in a completely new way?” This paradoxical approach reframes the experience and creates an opening for exploration.

3. Use Contradictions and Paradoxes
Statements that seem contradictory can capture attention and encourage reflection. Saying, “You might find yourself becoming more alert as you relax deeper,” intrigues the client’s conscious awareness while guiding them non-consciously toward the desired state.

Building Rapport Through the Unexpected
While shock and surprise are powerful, they must be used with care. Clients need to feel safe and supported for the technique to be effective. Building rapport and maintaining trust are essential prerequisites. When clients feel understood and valued, they are more likely to embrace the unexpected and allow themselves to explore new possibilities.

Takeaway Question
Why is the use of shock and surprise effective in hypnotherapy?

11 months ago | [YT] | 10

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

The Double Bind: A Hypnotic Tool for Empowering Choice
In hypnotherapy, the art of suggestion is about more than just guiding words. It’s about creating a framework where the client’s non-conscious processes are engaged to explore possibilities that conscious awareness might resist. One powerful tool for this is the double bind, a subtle but effective technique that offers the client a sense of control while gently steering them towards change.
What Is a Double Bind?
A double bind presents two options, both leading to the same therapeutic outcome. This technique creates an illusion of choice, allowing clients to feel in control of their journey. For example, a therapist might say, “Would you prefer to relax more deeply now or in a few moments?” The client’s conscious awareness registers the choice between now and later, but non-consciously, they are already engaging with the idea of relaxation.
This approach works because it bypasses resistance. Instead of confronting the client’s doubts or fears head-on, it reframes the situation so the client can’t logically object. The outcome—relaxation in this case—is accepted as inevitable, with the only decision being when it will happen.
Why Is the Double Bind Effective?
The double bind is effective because it shifts focus away from resistance and towards action. By offering choices that both lead to the desired outcome, it gently directs the client’s attention. This technique also taps into the non-conscious processes, where habitual patterns and deeper insights reside. When resistance is bypassed or not evoked, clients can access their inner resources more easily.
Moreover, double binds encourage engagement without pressure. Clients feel empowered to make a choice, either consciously, or non-consciously, even if that choice is structured. This can be particularly helpful for individuals who struggle with decision-making, feel overwhelmed by their challenges, or like to maintain a sense of control.
How to Use Double Binds in Hypnotherapy
Mastering the double bind requires thoughtful phrasing and timing. Here are three strategies to incorporate this technique effectively:
1. Create Win-Win Choices
Frame options so that both lead to positive outcomes. For instance, “I wonder whether you will begin noticing how calm your breathing feels or how relaxed your arms are becoming?” directs focus on sensations of relaxation regardless of the choice.
2. Match the Client’s Language and Pace
Use language that resonates with the client’s current state and adjust your delivery to match their comfort level. This builds rapport and reduces the likelihood of resistance.
3. Follow with Open-Ended Suggestions
Once the double bind has shifted focus, introduce open-ended suggestions like, “And as you explore those feelings, I wonder what else you might notice…” This deepens the experience and encourages introspection.
Building Trust Through Double Binds
Trust is a cornerstone of effective hypnotherapy. The double bind, when used with care and respect, fosters trust by empowering the client to feel involved in their progress. By offering choices that align with their goals, the therapist demonstrates understanding and support.
Takeaway Question
How does a double bind aid therapeutic progress?

11 months ago | [YT] | 7

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

How Everyday Activities Evoke Trance States



Trance states are not as mysterious or unusual as they might seem. In fact, they are a natural part of our daily lives, occurring whenever our attention becomes deeply focused on something. When you’re engrossed in a book, captivated by a film, or entirely immersed in a sport, you are in a trance state. These experiences show how everyday activities evoke trance states, shaping our thoughts, feelings, and even behaviours.


The Experience of Everyday Trances


Imagine you are reading an emotional novel. The words on the page draw you in, shaping your emotional experience. You might cry during a tragic moment or feel your heart race during a tense scene. Your body responds as though you are living the events described, even though you’re simply reading. This is a trance: a focused state of attention around the idea or story being presented.


Similarly, when watching a film, your level of attention determines the depth of the trance. If you’re fully absorbed—lights off, no distractions—the film can profoundly shape your experience. A horror movie might make you jump at sudden noises or even feel uneasy in the dark afterward. These lingering feelings and behaviours, like needing to turn on the lights before bed, mirror post-hypnotic suggestions, where the trance state influences actions even after it ends.


Sports evoke trance states too. When you’re deeply focused on playing a game, your attention is so absorbed that you might not notice physical pain or fatigue. Success in these moments can reinforce a sense of confidence, making you more attuned to opportunities for further success. The trance created by your focus shapes both your immediate experience and the expectations you carry forward.


Depth of Trance Matters


The depth of a trance state depends on how much attention is absorbed around the idea or activity. For example, if you’re half-watching a movie while checking your phone, your trance is light. The film might barely influence your emotions or actions because your attention is divided. However, if you’re fully immersed, the trance is deeper, and the film’s impact is more significant. You might find yourself emotionally reactive during the movie and still influenced by its themes or mood after it ends.


Trances are always in relation to something: a book, a film, a person, or an activity. You might even experience multiple trances simultaneously. For instance, watching a film with your partner, you could be in a deep "fear" trance in relation to the horror movie and a "love" trance in relation to your partner. Each shapes your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in different ways.


Recognising Everyday Trances


Understanding everyday trances is particularly valuable for hypnotherapists and other psychological therapists. Recognising that trance states are a natural part of everyday life can provide insights into how to engage clients effectively. For example, discussing a topic that deeply interests a client can evoke a natural trance, as their attention becomes absorbed in the conversation. Similarly, asking questions that draw the client into vividly recalling an experience can deepen this trance.


These everyday trances can serve as gateways to therapeutic work. By evoking a client’s natural trance state, therapists can transition into trances focused on therapeutic ideas, guiding the client toward insights or behavioural changes. This approach allows therapists to build on the client’s natural tendencies and interests, creating a seamless and collaborative therapeutic process. Recognising and utilising everyday trances can enhance rapport, deepen the therapeutic experience, and improve outcomes by aligning the therapy with the client’s natural mental processes.


Takeaway Question


Why is recognising everyday trances important for therapists?

11 months ago | [YT] | 7

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

The Art of Two-Level Communication in Hypnosis
Hypnotic communication can be a delicate dance of words, tonality, and intentions. One of the most powerful tools at a hypnotherapist’s disposal is two-level communication. This technique involves delivering messages to be observed consciously and responded to non-consciously, creating a dynamic interplay that can lead to profound therapeutic change.
What Is Two-Level Communication?
At its core, two-level communication is about speaking on two levels at once. Consciously the client hears one thing, while non-consciously, they pick up on subtler, implied suggestions and ideas. For example, a hypnotherapist might say, "As you notice how those hands feel, I… wonder what else is happening," with a pause after 'I' and a slight tonal shift when saying 'wonder what else is happening', consciously the client picks up on the surface meaning, but non-consciously, they are drawn to the embedded idea of deeper exploration.
This approach leverages the mind’s natural capacity for responding to multiple levels of communication. While consciously, the client focuses on the explicit content, non-consciously, they are receptive to the implicit meanings embedded in the therapist’s tone, pacing, and phrasing.
Why Is Two-Level Communication So Effective?
The power of two-level communication lies in its ability to bypass resistance. Clients often come to therapy with barriers—doubt, fear, or preconceived notions about their problem. By directing ideas to only be perceived non-consciously, therapists can avoid conscious defences. This creates a safe space for change to occur without the client feeling overwhelmed or resistant.
Additionally, the dual-layered approach allows therapists to address multiple aspects of the client’s experience. Consciously, they might be focusing on a calming narrative, while non-consciously, they are processing the deeper ideas for transformation. This dual focus can accelerate the therapeutic process.
How to Use Two-Level Communication
Mastering this technique requires practice and intention. Here are three key strategies to get started:
1. Use Ambiguity and Open-Ended Phrases
Phrases like "you might find yourself wondering..." or "as you notice what feels right for you..." allow clients to interpret the suggestion in a way that resonates with them. This encourages them to non-consciously explore possibilities.
2. Leverage Vocal Dynamics
You can speak to conscious awareness with a clear, steady tone and to the non-conscious awareness with softer, slower phrases. For example, emphasising a word like “now” softly can nudge non-conscious awareness to act without conscious interference.
3. Incorporate Pauses
Strategic pauses can create space for the non-conscious awareness to fill in the gaps. They signal that something important is happening and invite the client to go inward.
The Role of Trust in Two-Level Communication
Successful two-level communication depends on trust. Clients must feel comfortable with the therapist to allow both their conscious awareness and non-conscious awareness to engage fully. Building rapport, maintaining a non-judgmental presence, and aligning with the client’s pace are essential.
Takeaway Question
Why is two-level communication effective in hypnotherapy?

11 months ago | [YT] | 5

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

What is the Trance Nature of Reality? An Introduction


Have you ever found yourself so engrossed in a task that the world around you fades away? Or lost in thought while driving a familiar route, only to arrive at your destination with little memory of the journey? These experiences aren’t just quirks of the mind—they’re examples of everyday trance states. The “trance nature of reality” is a concept that suggests we live much of our lives in a trance-like state, shaped by our thoughts, emotions, and surroundings.


Trance is a controversial term. It is commonly used in the field of hypnosis where people talk about 'hypnotic trance', but the reality is that there is no such thing as a 'hypnotic trance', however, trance, as used here, is a term to describe the mind-body state of being in relationship to something. So, a 'love trance' would be the mind-body state of being shaping your reality in relation to the person you love that shapes your thoughts, feelings, behaviours, beliefs and perceptions etc., rather than being a mystical state of consciousness.

Understanding Trance States


A trance state isn’t some mysterious phenomenon limited to hypnosis or meditation. It’s a natural part of human existence. Trance occurs when our attention becomes narrowly focused, allowing the rest of the world to fade into the background, shaping our experience of reality. Trance can happen in many ways: when we’re captivated by a gripping story, lost in the rhythm of a favourite song, or even zoning out during a mundane task.

At its core, the trance nature of reality refers to the way our minds constantly shift and focus attention. In fact, many of our daily behaviours, thoughts, and decisions are influenced by non-conscious patterns running in the background, much like a computer operating system. These patterns create our subjective experience of reality.

The Role of Beliefs and Perception

One of the most fascinating aspects of the trance nature of reality is how beliefs and perceptions shape our experiences. What we believe or expect to be true colours how we see the world, often without us realising it. For instance, if someone believes they’re unlucky, they’re more likely to notice unfortunate events and interpret neutral situations negatively. They view the World through this lens, reducing awareness of alternative perspectives.

Likewise, someone who believes they are lucky is more likely to find a positive interpretation of unfortunate events, interpret neutral events more positively and notice far more positive events.


An often replicated study has people walking to a location for a 'study'. The study isn't actually what takes place in the building, but rather what takes place in the walk to the building. There is money lying on the ground in plain sight on the walk to the building. Those who believe they are lucky are more likely to see it and pick it up, compared to those who believe themselves to be unlucky.

The beliefs the person holds about themselves shape the reality they experience.

Similarly, cultural norms and societal expectations act as collective trances, subtly influencing how we think, feel, and behave.

Takeaway Question

What does the article say about the nature of trance states?

11 months ago | [YT] | 7

Dan Jones | Inside The Quiet Mind

The Unexpected Strength of Autistic Traits in Social Prediction

When you think of autistic traits, the first association might not be an enhanced ability to predict social behaviours. Yet, recent research challenges this perception, shedding light on an unexpected strength: generalised social prediction skills. This discovery not only shifts how autistic traits can be viewed, but also expands our understanding of human cognition.

Beyond the Traditional View of Social Cognition

For years, autistic traits have been linked to difficulties in person perception, the ability to interpret specific individuals’ emotions, intentions, or mental states. These challenges, often rooted in reduced cognitive empathy or theory of mind skills, are well-documented. However, generalised social prediction—a distinct type of social cognition—paints a more complex picture. This skill involves predicting broad social phenomena, such as group behaviours or common human biases, rather than individual emotions or intentions.

For instance, while recognising if a friend is happy might pose challenges for someone autistic, they might excel at predicting general trends, like understanding why people are more likely to conform in groups. This form of reasoning taps into systemising - the ability to identify rules and patterns, a cognitive strength frequently associated with autistic traits.

The Research Behind the Discovery

A groundbreaking study (Autism spectrum traits predict higher social psychological skill, 2019, Anton Gollwitzer et al., available in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) involving over 6,500 participants from 104 countries revealed that autistic traits correlate with higher accuracy in generalised social prediction. Participants were assessed using a validated quiz measuring their understanding of well-established social psychological phenomena, such as social loafing (the tendency for individuals to put in less effort when working in a group) or the bystander effect (the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help someone in need when others are present). Surprisingly, individuals with higher autistic traits performed slightly better than those without, demonstrating a nuanced ability to grasp these overarching patterns.

This positive relationship starkly contrasts with the widely recognised difficulties in person perception among those with autistic traits. The findings suggest that social cognition is not a single, uniform skill but rather a multifaceted set of abilities. While mentalising (the ability to infer others’ thoughts and feelings) may be impacted by autistic traits, systemising can drive strengths in understanding broader social dynamics.

Why Does This Matter?

The implications are profound. First, this challenges the deficit-focused narrative surrounding autism, highlighting unique cognitive strengths often overlooked. It also emphasises the importance of distinguishing between different types of social cognition. Rather than viewing social skills as a fixed, uniform concept, recognising the diversity within these abilities allows for more tailored approaches to education and intervention.

For autistic people like myself, these findings resonate deeply. I learned social skills systematically by identifying the rules or patterns of situations, practicing these in front of a mirror, imagining and rehearsing scenarios, and even video recording interactions with others to analyse and learn the patterns of what was happening. Teaching social skills through explicit rules and patterns, rather than relying on intuitive understanding, aligns well with these systemising strengths.

This approach is already showing promise in interventions. For example, social skills training programs for autistic individuals often focus on explicitly teaching social rules and behaviours. Strategies include breaking down interactions into smaller, manageable steps and providing clear, structured practice. These methods help autistic people develop confidence and competence in navigating social situations.

Takeaway Question

What does recent research reveal about how autistic traits influence social prediction skills?

11 months ago | [YT] | 9