When I was 17, I realized that my experience of the things I liked or simply happened to notice around me was more intense than my friends seemed to experience. When I tried to describe what I felt—for instance, after reading something exciting or seeing something beautiful—I was aware they didn't often resonate with or understand my experience.

I'd have high highs, which were sometimes triggered by seeing my favorite color or because something I was interested in was on the news. In my early 20s, I began to think I might have bipolar disorder, so intense were the feelings of joy, excitement, and euphoria that seemed different to most people I knew. This was at a time when I was also experiencing low mood and anxiety, which seemed to fit with the ups and downs of bipolar disorder.

Recently, autistic joy has been receiving growing attention on social media and other outlets1. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and my clients and I often discuss it in our work together.

Autistic joy tends to be characterized by........

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