Be for someone, not for everyone

Meta-analysis confirms camouflaging/masking is significantly associated with greater anxiety, depression and lower wellbeing in autistic people — but evidence is cross-sectional, so causality and direction are unestablished. Supports the premise that masking costs energy/wellbeing, indirectly motivating disclosure.

Cross-sectional study: disclosure mediated the relationship between stronger autistic identity and DECREASED camouflaging. Provides the closest mechanistic link to the claim that being openly oneself (incl. about neurodivergence) lowers masking — but it is observational and not about dating contexts specifically.

Experimental vignette study: profiles disclosing autistic attributes/interests were rated comparably attractive, trustworthy and desirable to typical profiles; mixing typical attributes with autistic interests lowered desirability. Suggests honest disclosure does not automatically reduce desirability — but measures rater perceptions, not real-world dating success, and does not test deliberate filtering-by-repulsion.

Survey of 102 autistic adults on dating-app disclosure decisions and victimization. Disclosure is experienced as a control/authenticity benefit by some, but ~40% received unwanted sexual messages and women/nonheterosexual users faced more abuse — a real safety downside the method ignores. Descriptive, no outcome comparison vs non-disclosure.

General-population dating research: HIGH selective self-presentation tends to LOWER social attractiveness and intent to act, while authenticity + warranting raises trust and positive outcomes. Cuts partly against 'deliberately narrow your profile to repel' — authenticity helps, but strategic over-filtering can backfire. Not ADHD/autism-specific.