Did you see that ludicrous display last night ?

> Your comment about awkwardness/inability to hold a conversation doesn't strike true either. Rather, I felt like no one else could hold a conversation. If you believe the problem is with "everyone else", the problem really is with you . Nerds generally struggle with holding conversations without constantly sending "out-group" signals while failing to send "in-group" signals. [VIDEO] Unlike in this satirical clip, I don't think it's possible to fake being "a normal guy". However, in my experience, it's possible to build rapport by being respectful and signaling that you get where the other person is coming from. Avoid being intellectually dominating. That way, you'll be perceived as "that okay smart guy" instead of "that fucking nerd". Even if you don't care about being popular, learning how to read people is an extremely important skill, especially if you're somewhere on the autism spectrum. Just approach it as another nerd subject (human psychology).

I'm always amused when I hear this point of view. It's a bit like telling someone that likes Jazz that they should just like auto-tune pop music because it's what everyone else likes. I'm self-aware enough to have considered that I might just be bad at communicating but still don't seem to be able to do much about it. > My experience is the opposite. I guess most people would like to be seen as an "everyman" that can talk to anyone but we're just not all wired that way. There's plenty of popular culture tropes that deal with that. E.g. "Did you see that ludicrous display last night"[1] It gets easier with age but being boring , if you want to call it that, is OK too. 1. [VIDEO]

> Plus it's easy small talk fodder. "Did you see that ludicrous display last night?" * [VIDEO]