To ask how much energy and thought you put into maintaining eye contact and thinking about your facial expressions in conversations?

Me too op, and yes ND too. I also think abut this afterwards, "did I smile enough?". I know I don't make enough eye contact if I don't make the conscious effort.

Never
I mean I’m generally animated and responsive but never think about it
neurotypical

It was many many years before I realised I gave very little eye contact because when people speak I watch their lips, I dont have bad hearing as such but I tend to 'hear' better if I can see peoples mouths when they talk, so I had to train myself to flit between eyes and mouth and hopefully focus on their eyes more than mouth, otherwise Im sure I look a bit strange but for some reason I hear better by lip reading.

Same thing about taking off my glasses, I cant hear if I havent got my glasses on!!!

Not ND

I have had to teach myself to respond to smiles- when someone smiled at me I didn't smile back automatically as neurotypical people do. It was after I got my very late diagnosis of Autism and started learning more about Autism did I realise this common in neurodiverse people.

Every conversation I have I am constantly trying to work out whether I should be maintaining eye contact, whether I should be smiling, etc etc. I keep thinking about what the person who I'm talking to is actually seeing when they look at me: its like an out of body experience where I'm conscious of myself from their perspective and it's very unnerving.

Being so self conscious during even the smallest of exchanges is one of the reasons for my extreme social anxiety and why I tend to keep myself to myself.

Not aware of any neurodivergence but I also have a constant thought of is it enough eye contact?? Is it too much?? Have I smiled for too long at that comment?? Do I look grumpy?? Is my face doing what it should be??

I have to think about eye contact and facial expressions but I’m autistic so I suppose that’s normal?

Omg I’m just like this. It it took me till my 40’s to realise I do this along with focusing on a spot near the eye or even forehead lol I have been asked quite often by the person I’m speak with- what do I have. Spot? Is there something in my hair lol
I just find it so uncomfortable looking into peoples eyes - no neurodivergence

Neurotypical but raised by a deaf mother so I instinctively lip read, therefore I am always watching the persons lips rather than eyes. It freaks me out when I try to look at eyes instead. It seems weird and intrusive.

TBH, I don't really think about it. I have some hearing loss so if I am in a noisy environment I turn my ear towards the speaker rather than look at them so I can hear them better.

I don't think I am neurodivergent.