I think it was just yesterday when I post about the interview with Malcolm Gladwell, the author of ‘Talking to strangers’, where he said that people are not very good at assessing when somebody is lying. I was a bit surprised with that, as I thought this only applies to autistics and now it looks like neurotypicals are not that much better. Although I would say, still, autistics are probably a little bit more gullible, especially when they are young.

However, sometimes it seems like it’s me who can work that out better. I’m thinking about a situation from a few years ago. I worked with a woman who loved telling everybody how great her life was, except of her daughter who was in a college trying to become hairdresser but constantly facing various issues. That person loved taking photos of everything: new bag, new dress, new shoes, new wallpaper in her bedroom and even the steak she ordered in a restaurant. She would then be showing everybody those photos and waiting for compliments.

One day, before the weekend, she said her daughter will be taking part in a hairdressing contest for students. As much as I was not interested in that lady’s bags and steaks, I thought all those hairstyles will be interesting to see. So after the weekend I asked her how her daughter did. Oh, she won! the woman proclaimed while throwing her hands up in the air. That’s really good – I said. Can I see the photos? Oh, photos? I didn’t take any – she answered and suddenly became interested in her work.

Shortly after that another lady joined us and asked the same question. She was given response full of excitement and lively gestures and become so absorbed in the conversation that she didn’t even ask about photos. And I thought, is it just me who sees that something doesn’t add up here? That is what makes me suspicious about what other people say. But I guess neurotypicals, or at least some of them, become so focused on social reciprocity that they can’t properly assess what is being said to them.