Matt and Erin are back this week talking about mixed-neurotype relationships — what happens when one partner learns they’re autistic, and the other isn’t. They get into the messy, funny, and very real ways brains collide (and connect) when communication styles, sensory experiences, and love languages don’t quite match up.
We cover:
- The shock of realizing your partner *does* (or *doesn’t*) have an internal monologue — and what that means for communication
- How masking, burnout, and unmasking impact long-term relationships
- Power balance and privilege in neurodivergent/neurotypical pairings
- The “mismatch of salience” — why autistic love languages (like reorganizing your library) often go unseen
- Learning to ask for help, name needs, and bridge the gap *from both sides*
- Why autistic euphoria and shared enthusiasm are relationship superpowers
- The Addams Family as the original model for healthy neurodivergent romance
Also: cat pictures, hyperphantasia vs. aphantasia, moral-failing eyeballs, and why holding someone’s purse at the roller coaster absolutely counts as love.