Naming or labeling feelings of anxiety can help people with autism better manage emotions prompted by uncertainty and dread, a new study suggests.
People with autistic traits often cope with uncertainty by naming their feelings, according to the findings by Nagoya University experts published on May 12, 2026.
Friends might help people on the spectrum by suggesting the right words for what they feel, researchers found. The finding suggests that discomfort with uncertainty is associated with a greater tendency to put their feelings into words, which is linked to lower anxiety levels.
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Previous research has found that labeling emotions can help manage stress, whether by writing them down on paper or saying them out loud, as noted in the background. The emotions might not disappear, but can become less overwhelming after they are named or uttered.
For the study, researchers selected more than 500 adults aged 20 to 39. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire that measured their autistic symptoms, their ability to manage uncertainty, and their anxiety levels. People who had more anxiety traits tended to experience stronger anxiety in uncertain situations, a condition known as tolerance of uncertainty. Further, those with higher intolerance of uncertainty tended to label their emotions more often as a coping mechanism.
Experts at the Organization for Autism Research think others can aid this mechanism by offering the right words to describe how an autistic person is feeling. However, researchers warned that these are initial findings. More research is required to confirm the theory.
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