This article was written by Monica Jones, she is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Autism and Theology at the University of Aberdeen. She was brought up in Suffolk, attending Northgate High School Ipswich and Colchester 6th Form, before completing her undergraduate degree at Cardiff University and her Masters at Durham University. Monica received her autism diagnosis after her first year at University, having spent her childhood as an expert masker.
You can find out more about the research that is happening at Aberdeen University here.
Body doubling is quite simple in its concept, and the name really explains all there is to it. The process requires finding another ‘body’ (person), and then engaging in an activity now there are ‘double’ the bodies in your space (though this space can be virtual). Through this process of doubling those who struggle with executive function, starting tasks, or states of transition, can find it possible to complete tasks.
How body doubling looks can be quite different for different people; for me, I don’t require my body double to do the same task as me to be helpful, but others may find that body doubling only works when it is truly doubling. There exist online communities where you can join body doubling calls with strangers, and some might find this helpful, but for me, this is nowhere near as effective as my body double being someone I know. However, that person doesn’t need to be in the room with me, it can be enough to be on a phone call.
So how does body doubling work? In my opinion, a significant portion of this process relies on accountability, though this can be conscious or unconscious accountability. For most people, body doubling works best when you tell your body double what it is you’re aiming to do, and even if they aren’t checking in on you, you have an awareness that they are holding you accountable. However, there can be an unconscious form of accountability too, where you don’t tell your body double that you are using them as such, but simply tell yourself that whilst you’re on the phone to them, or whilst they’re in the room with them, you’re going to complete a specific task.
Body doubling also helps to keep your mind on one task, which is particularly helpful when you have a task you don’t want to complete, and so might be inclined to distract yourself. The acknowledgement that someone else is invested in what I am doing is, for me, incredibly useful in helping me complete things I don’t enjoy. Chief among these for example is writing job applications, the last three or four jobs I have applied for have required being on a phone call with a body double to write my application. I didn’t speak on this call, my body double isn’t assisting me with the work, but by being there they help me enter into a state of focus, and keep me accountable to complete a task I find difficult.
Body doubling is something you can engage in quite unconsciously, you don’t always need to be asking someone ‘Can I body double with you?’. Going to the coffee shop to work with someone is a form of body doubling. Ringing a family member and telling yourself that whilst you’re on the phone you’re going to empty the dishwasher is a form of body doubling, Even though you haven’t told your body double that you’re using them in that way. So if you are seeking to help the kind of people that body doubling would benefit, the best way to do so is to make yourself available to people. We often shy away from sharing the mundane parts of our lives with each other, we feel it would be too boring to invite a friend to come with us while we’re doing errands. We try to clean the house before the friend arrives, rather than inviting them into a slightly messy space and tidying whilst they’re there. Particularly for those with autism or social anxiety, it can be difficult to initiate behaviour that you haven’t seen demonstrated to you. So my suggestion is, even if you don’t feel you need a body double, invite someone else to be yours so that they feel comfortable enough to invite you to be theirs.
