People who show higher levels of certain autistic traits, even without a diagnosis, may be more prone to everyday stress, according to new research from Loughborough University. The findings offer insight into how personality and communication styles may combine to shape people’s experiences of everyday pressures.
The study surveyed 176 adults from the UK general population between December 2024 and February 2025, using three well established questionnaires. These assessed non clinical autistic traits, personality characteristics, and perceived stress levels over the previous month. The findings were published in Psychreg Journal of Psychology.
Researchers found that two specific autistic traits, difficulty with pragmatic language and a tendency towards rigidity, were associated with higher levels of perceived stress. Pragmatic language refers to social communication skills, such as knowing how to take turns in conversation or use language appropriately in context. Rigidity reflects a preference for routine and difficulty adapting to change.
Dr Rita Obeid, assistant professor of psychological sciences at Case Western Reserve University, who was not involved in the study, said: “This study tells us that there is a link between difficulties with social communication and change in relation to everyday stress. However, it does not explain why this link exists or which comes first. Because it is a one-time correlational survey, we cannot say these traits cause stress. It is just as possible that stress makes conversations harder and people less flexible.”
A third trait, aloofness, which relates to reduced interest in socialising, was not found to independently predict stress once other factors were accounted for, even though it was linked to stress on its own.
Personality also played a significant role. Neuroticism, a tendency towards anxiety and emotional reactivity, was strongly associated with higher stress levels. Conscientiousness, on the other hand, appeared to offer some protection, suggesting that organised, goal driven behaviour may help buffer against daily pressures.
Dean Cooper, founder of Street Therapy, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD later in life and was not involved in the study, said: “These findings resonate strongly with my own experience. If something felt unresolved, illogical or ambiguous, I could not always simply leave it where other people seemed able to. I would analyse it, replay conversations, try to resolve them and mentally prepare for the next interaction.”
Interestingly, traits often thought to guard against stress, such as extraversion, agreeableness and openness, did not show a significant protective effect once autistic traits and other personality factors were considered together. The researchers suggest this may be because people with higher autistic traits tend to have less access to social support, which usually underpins the stress buffering effects of those particular traits.
The study also found that all three non clinical autistic traits were associated with higher neuroticism and lower levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. This pattern mirrors previous findings among people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, supporting the idea that autistic traits exist across a broad spectrum rather than within a strictly defined clinical category.
The researchers, Victoria Wright and Laura Jenkins, say their findings provide a clearer picture of how subtle autistic traits may interact with personality to influence stress in everyday life, rather than only among clinical populations. They note that the study was conducted after the pandemic, addressing a gap in previous research that may have been influenced by pandemic related stress and difficulties with coping.
Dr Obeid added: “One possible explanation worth exploring comes from research on the double empathy problem. This research suggests that communication difficulties between autistic and non-autistic people happen in both directions, with each group finding the other difficult to understand. This might mean that stress comes more from being misunderstood by people with different communication styles than from a person’s own way of communicating.”
“If this is the case, support should aim to reduce the mismatch instead of trying to change the person.”
The authors acknowledge several limitations, including a predominantly female sample and the exclusion of factors such as social support and mental health history, both of which could influence the results. They call for future studies to explore these potential mediating factors further using more representative samples.
The research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that even mild, non clinical autistic traits may shape how people experience and cope with the pressures of daily life.
