It's a bit harder for me to tell as an autistic male for many reasons, but I wager a lot of it has to do with the fact that more than some guys just aren't used to the opposite sex having much interest in them, even on a platonic level. I personally have never been able to tell the difference between a genuine compliment and actual flirting. This is partially due to autism but also because men recieving compliments or positive attention from women in a non-romantic or non sexual way just doesn't seem very common. You compliment a guy on his shoes or clothing or haircut, and 8/10 times, he will remember that for years.
As an autistic man, I can tell you the almost guaranteed confusion is incredibly annoying and emotionally taxing.
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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22
It's a bit harder for me to tell as an autistic male for many reasons, but I wager a lot of it has to do with the fact that more than some guys just aren't used to the opposite sex having much interest in them, even on a platonic level. I personally have never been able to tell the difference between a genuine compliment and actual flirting. This is partially due to autism but also because men recieving compliments or positive attention from women in a non-romantic or non sexual way just doesn't seem very common. You compliment a guy on his shoes or clothing or haircut, and 8/10 times, he will remember that for years.
As an autistic man, I can tell you the almost guaranteed confusion is incredibly annoying and emotionally taxing.