Basically what I mean is, do you have to make use of fake laughing in order to be socially successful? I mean when somebody tells a joke but it doesn’t make you laugh naturally. I can’t really fake laugh tbh. Will you immediately come off as weird or assholeish if you don’t do it or are there some normies who don’t do it?
I ask bc I have AvPD and have been a shut-in with most of my life so I don’t really know basic stuff about how normies act and what things are required and which are optional. I’ve been trying to engage with normies recently and this already happened a few times now where it goes like:
1. Someone says something
2. I take a second to process it (I’m stressed the whole time due to AvPD so I think I consciously process things too much which are just supposed to be subconscious and near-instant)
3. I realize it was a joke and think “ah shit I was supposed to laugh at that but I lost my window to do it naturally”
So am I fucked or is there a good way you can respond to situations like this?