(A) An illustration of the experimental setup. Figures wearing identical clothing represent participants with the same Autism Quotient type. (B) Cap configuration. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy data were recorded simultaneously in the frontal area and bilateral temporoparietal junction for each participant. The emitters and detectors were represented by red and blue circles, respectively, with measured channels labeled using black numbers. (C) Experimental procedure flowchart. Credit: Biological Psychiatry (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.06.031

New research has revealed that people with similar levels of autistic traits are more attracted to each other, and their brains synchronize in unique ways during passive and active communication.

The findings of the research in Biological Psychiatry offer new insights into the double empathy problem and the neural mechanisms of social interaction, suggesting that tailoring environments could reduce social fatigue and increase meaningful connection for individuals with autism.

This study expands on the double empathy problem, which reframes autism's social challenges as differences between individuals in communication rather than pointing only to a deficit in empathy on the part of the autistic person. In addition, the dialectical misattunement hypothesis (DMH) suggests that interaction between people with similar autistic traits will be smoother and reflected in neural synchronization.

"By situating autism research within the double empathy and DMH frameworks, we move beyond deficit language and show that individuals with higher autistic traits may engage different—not simply weaker—neural coordination strategies during real communication. With increasing emphasis on inclusion and neurodiversity, identifying conditions under which social connection flourishes is timely and policy relevant, " explains lead investigator Xuejun Bai, Ph.D., Faculty of Psychology, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, and Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China.

Co-lead investigator Peng Zhang, Ph.D., Faculty of Psychology, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, and Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Tianjin Normal University, adds, "Our team has a long-standing interest in the neural bases of communication challenges in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in individuals with varying levels of autistic traits. We believed that studying naturalistic, group-based communication—rather than only structured or one-to-one laboratory tasks—could reveal how neurological alignment (or misalignment) emerges in real conversations.

"Our motivation is practical and humanistic: We want every-day social exchanges to become easier and more rewarding for autistic people and those who interact with them—not merely to raise scores on communication 'skills' tests."

This study is one of the first to combine mixed-trait, four-person group discussions (30 groups; 20 female and 10 male), each containing two individuals high in autistic traits and two low in autistic traits. Using the social relations model, researchers measured to what extent participants liked and were attracted to each group member and recorded cortical activity with functional near‑infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during two phases: (1) passive story listening and (2) active turn‑taking discussion.

Key findings

John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, comments, "This research shifts our approach to (mis)communication in individuals with ASD. The finding that people who are neurally 'in sync' with each other find social connection easier, suggests a novel approach for building social connection among people with ASD."

Dr. Bai concludes, "Our data suggest that successful communication depends on the match between partners—both in trait profile and in shared conversational ground—not solely on individual skill. Recognizing that high autistic trait individuals can achieve effective interaction when contexts support their strengths helps reorient interventions toward mutual adaptation. Structuring discussions, clarifying turn-taking, and aligning expectations may promote neural and social attunement.

"Ultimately, tailoring environments—not just training individuals—could reduce social fatigue and increase meaningful connection for autistic people."

More information: Shuyuan Feng et al, Attraction through similarity in autistic traits: A group communication study using social relations model and fNIRS hyperscanning, Biological Psychiatry (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.06.031  Journal information: Biological Psychiatry