[Mollie May]

I saw this article yesterday and found it interesting: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/02...ies/51409.html

It suggests that bipolar patients have similar emotional perception difficulties to schizophrenic patients.

It made me think about my own experiences and whether or not I really do have problems identifying emotion based on facial expressions. Maybe I do, like the article says, take longer to establish a person's emotional response. In fact, it would explain why I feel uncomfortable in a lot of social situations. You have to be able to assess someone's facial expression in order to behave appropriately in a social setting, right? So if it takes longer for me to do that, it would make sense that I find social interactions exhausting (What do I say now? What's she expecting my answer to be? How do I respond to that questions? What should I ask in return??)--like so much work--I'd rather sit alone by myself for ours. I hadn't thought about this possible connection before. Now that I think back on it, I think this might be true for me to some degree.

What do you think? I know many of us find socializing difficult and tiring...near impossible at times. Do you think part of the reason could be this difficulty in determining emotion from facial cues?

[Secretum]

Interesting! I definitely have problems identifying emotional states based off of facial expression...

[AeonDM]

I don't know but my emotions have to tendency to come late making it difficult to defend and protect myself. That is why I don't like social gathering.

[Eliza Jane]

No, that doesn't really fit for me. If anything, I'd say that I am good at recognizing how others are feeling.

On the other hand, I sometimes have a harder time identifying how I am feeling myself.

Best,
EJ

[bluemountains]

Nope, that's not me at all. I can recognize the emotional states of others very quickly.
Bluemountains

[Darth Bane]

when i was lttle i had little bit problem with identifying faces... and so facial emotions too i guess.... reminds me of time when i used to do such things, still my mom took my side.... it made me look stupid and that too when i was really good at study...

currently i don't know... i have read enough body language books to understand those signs but i had to read those book perhaps implies i had problem identifying emotions.... i am so tired of this illness...

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by bluemountains

Nope, that's not me at all. I can recognize the emotional states of others very quickly.
Bluemountains

I believe that without this ability you could not be a successful teacher.

[BlueInanna]

Thanks for sharing the article, Mollie, I found it interesting. I think I'm like Eliza, my challenge is more often "what am I feeling?"

But the following part of the article I find annoying... why... I'm trying to figure out what bothers me about it:

"When Wynn evaluated gender recognition abilities, he found again that both bipolar and schizophrenic patients had problems recognizing facial gender. These results were similar for both the bipolar patients who were taking medication and those who were not."

Maybe bp people are smarter? Why such focus on gender? People's looks vary so much... I felt like this would be a useless part of a study I guess. Men and women can look very much alike, take away facial hair, etc. Or is this supposed to be an indicator of me having dysfunctional or slow thinking related to my bipolar dx? Nope, I'm not gonna buy that, we're just smarter or less likely to judge people by gender, or what gender they look more like.

I agree with Blue Inanna on this subject.

I know very little about schizophrenia, except that one is subject to delusions and
it can be very serious trying to maintain the chemical balance. I know of several
people who were schizophrenic, and in each case the person was very intelligent.

Bipolar people don't have an intellectual disorder--it's a mood disorder--so in all
honesty, for me, an article like that doesn't offer too much authority. Frankly,
I've also seen people whom you could not read their facial expressions unless
you had a camera inside their brains. "Poker face", it's called. The psychopath is
exceptionally good at concealing feelings. We bipolar folks aren't as a general
rule, in my view.

To tell you the truth, I've seen little puppies that had a quick que on what the
facial expression was saying. I've lived long enough to know a look can mean anything in this world---we never know.

[rossiv46]

(What do I say now? What's she expecting my answer to be? How do I respond to that questions? What should I ask in return??)--like so much work-)

This is how i often feel and am glad you put words to how I was feeling or feel.

[ibex]

Response below__________________________________________________________________________________________

This is so true for me. I use to and still am sometimes, blunt with a practical answer not understanding that the person I am talking to is wanting a more in depth and insightful conversation or answer. They like to see their emotion and expression of it seen and reciprocated. Now I train myself to look at their facial expressions, read their body language during our exchange of words. I have to make sure I listen close to the change in pitch in their voice and learn their vernacular so I do not offend.

This is so exhausting trying to be social and forcing yourself to learn this stuff. It doesn't come easy and for an introvert + (insert MI) it sucks. I just want to be me and give a logical answer without jumping ten different hurdles of emotional messages that are covert and evasive but I am supposed to know them so I can communicate one or two sentences of understanding.

Another obstacle course for me is the one where you are asked how they should fix a problem and the sulking when you give them the most "logical" answer at trouble shooting and you have to back track to see where their feelings were hurt and what they don't really want.
Maybe I'm from another planet because trying to communicate with others is like visiting strange countries.

[BipolaRNurse]

Originally Posted by Secretum

Interesting! I definitely have problems identifying emotional states based off of facial expression...

I tried that test too, and found that I completely suck at it. And here I thought I was so astute in this area.

[Darth Bane]

Originally Posted by perfectlyflawed

Response below__________________________________________________________________________________________

This is so true for me. I use to and still am sometimes, blunt with a practical answer not understanding that the person I am talking to is wanting a more in depth and insightful conversation or answer. They like to see their emotion and expression of it seen and reciprocated. Now I train myself to look at their facial expressions, read their body language during our exchange of words. I have to make sure I listen close to the change in pitch in their voice and learn their vernacular so I do not offend.

This is so exhausting trying to be social and forcing yourself to learn this stuff. It doesn't come easy and for an introvert + (insert MI) it sucks. I just want to be me and give a logical answer without jumping ten different hurdles of emotional messages that are covert and evasive but I am supposed to know them so I can communicate one or two sentences of understanding.

Another obstacle course for me is the one where you are asked how they should fix a problem and the sulking when you give them the most "logical" answer at trouble shooting and you have to back track to see where their feelings were hurt and what they don't really want.
Maybe I'm from another planet because trying to communicate with others is like visiting strange countries.

you are describing how i feel

for most of the time i am like second late decoding their emotions... i am reading their emotions using body language,facial expressions,right... but still it is like watching tv... now he is sad/annoyed what the hell i am supposed to do? to help or to sympathize? exactly what should i say,tell him everything will be ok or blame someone else? its exactly like tv,just paused tv.... i have watched that whole episode upto this,i understand emotions, story-line and i am supposed to write remaining dialogues and direct rest of the episode !!!!!!!

[faerie_moon_x]

i absolutely have difficulty reading facial expressions. I tend to read a lot of hostility in people, and it's always been so. There was a previous study several years ago showing that in a test between bipolar teens and non-bipolar teens, showing them faces of different emotions (in photograph,) non-bipolar teens identified neutral faces as neutral and bipolar teens identified neutral faces as hostile.

Also, my face often doesn't read my emotion to others. My husband often asks me why I'm angry when actually I'm not angry at all. I have pictures of me as a teen with that weird angry face, but actually I wasn't anry at the time. He also teases me that I get "zombie" face, which is like a blank face....

[BlueInanna]

DH, that reminded me of several times people telling me I look sad and look about to cry, or say I sound sad, when I had no idea I was portraying it and when I'm feeling ok and nowhere near as sad as some deep depressions I've experienced.

That's interesting about reading hostility on neutral face expressions. I think that could have to do with a history of others' reactions to our moods and behavior brought about by moods. Reactions we weren't expecting, like disapproval from parents, teachers, other kids. Enough disapproval over the years, especially the formative years, and we could start expecting it.

[avlady]

If looks could kill!!!!!!!!!!!!

[faerie_moon_x]

Oh, look! PC even has anarticle about it.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...l-expressions/

[Secretum]

i absolutely have difficulty reading facial expressions. I tend to read a lot of hostility in people, and it's always been so. There was a previous study several years ago showing that in a test between bipolar teens and non-bipolar teens, showing them faces of different emotions (in photograph,) non-bipolar teens identified neutral faces as neutral and bipolar teens identified neutral faces as hostile.

Also, my face often doesn't read my emotion to others. My husband often asks me why I'm angry when actually I'm not angry at all. I have pictures of me as a teen with that weird angry face, but actually I wasn't anry at the time. He also teases me that I get "zombie" face, which is like a blank face....

I can definitely relate; I do feel like people feel hostile or cruel towards me when in reality, they probably haven't even noticed me. Makes it hard to make friends when you can't help but feel like they're always rejecting you...

I also am difficult to read emotionally. I'm pretty good at hiding what I'm feeling; many of my friends and family have a hard time believing that I've been depressed, because I feel like I can't expose my true emotions. Anger I let out more, because it's so darn energetic...but luckily, I don't get angry too often, and when I do, I tend to calm down relatively quickly.

[Anneinside]

I don't have trouble reading others' emotions on their faces but I do have trouble remembering faces along with their names until I have spent a lot of time with them. I have trouble with movies in which, for example, all the female stars are blond... I can't remember which is which.

Originally Posted by Anneinside

... I have trouble with movies in which, for example, all the female stars are blond... I can't remember which is which.

That's because they DO look alike.

I don't know how I read things. Don't tend to make much eye contact. (I have a lot of problem with how others read that -- as dishonesty. It's probably due to a mix of factors, but dishonesty is NOT among them.) Or even look at them much. So who knows. Probably saves me from reading hostility in. Don't do that.

Ironically, I'm very visually oriented. And people watch. As long as we're not actually interacting.

I don't know if I could identify what they were trying to show in the picture. It freaked me out so badly I couldn't look at it(!) Freaky freaky freaky.

(Thought about (very spaced) it. When I read, it's more of a ...physical sensation, like, a vibe, I guess. That and tone of voice.) IRL. I'd have to take the test to know on faces. Looking at a picture is easier than looking at a person (except: see above.))

[Resident Bipolar]

Actually I think I'm reasonably good at reading facial expressions and I find it easier than some to form an 'emotional bond' between myself and certain people in my social group.

With some people I seem to be able to pick up their negative energy and can in a way 'sense' when he or she is upset and pretending not to be where others cannot. It's a bit of a bummer though because I am way too affected by the mood of others and am drawn into their sadness whether or not I want to be. Plus I always feel inclined to help and listen to their problems despite what I'm going through which sometimes makes things worse.

I find that odd because I am also diagnosed with asperger's, though I dispute that diagnoses to this day.

RB.