K dramas

Jacqui

Jacqui

Active member
I have become hooked on K dramas since watching attorney Woo. I find them very emotionally satisfying. These dramas give a strong backstory to each main character which help explain their behaviour. That plus the slower pace seems to be helping me in understanding the implicit in behaviour, glances, body posture etc. It makes a lot of things explicit. The nature of many of these series seems to be helping me with emotional literacy. Hometown Cha Cha Cha was another. I would really like to find out if I am imagining this ‘help’ or if it really is having an impact. Any comments gratefully received.
 
I assume you mean emotional literacy in your day to day life - I'd say that's always going to be a personal judgement call. Maybe one way of measuring that would be to consider whether you feel that people are interacting with you in a "warmer" way? The theory being, if you are more in tune with the emotional state of others in your interactions with them, maybe this is something they are picking up on and are in turn slightly warmer in their interactions with you?

A bit of a strech I know, but might be one worth thinking about...
 
I am finding it useful especially when I repeat a series to ´read faces’. scenes often have prolonged silences between people looking at each other or at something significant. The emphasis of the stories is often personal growth and development with back stories which , as they unfold, help to explain behaviour. The later ones after 2018!are better. Korean culture places important on perseverance which in the films translates to stalking behaviour though the intention is to show loyalty and commitment. I find them very emotionally moving and I think it’s useful for my autistic traits - difficulty reading situations/ not able to know my own feelings etc.
 
Jacqui said:
PS I just wanted to find out if anyone else with ASD had stumbled on K dramas and had a similar reaction.
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I enjoy K dramas, though more the ones with fantasy elements than solely real life based. I find the slower pace and clearer communication really helpful for understanding what is going on between characters though. They also tend to have a nice structure to them, like you said with the personal growth stories and character development.

For me, it helps that the interactions feel more straightforward too, which helps with my understanding of what is going on. Everything feels less nuanced and interpretive, and characters and actions often get explained clearly rather than just implied.

I think it makes sense that all of that would help with your own understanding of body language and emotional literacy. And being able to see the context for why a character is acting the way they are can mean that you are better able to apply context to real people that you interact with.

I also enjoy Chinese and Japanese fantasy dramas for similar reasons, though they each have different delivery styles. I find it much easier to understand and find ways to relate to the emotions they focus on too compared to English or American dramas.
 
I too enjoy the fantasy element. There seems to be blurred lines between alternative realities which allow for a wider range of story telling. The Master Sun perspective on ghosts, then Doom, and Genie make a Wish are all enjoyable. More nuances around good/ evil, fate and destiny. I’m glad to find someone else with a similar enjoyment of eastern dramas.