Language learning is great for lonely people with autism or just people who are socially awkward in general yet still enjoy interacting with others.
When you speak a foreign language, people are a lot more forgiving. You don't have to worry too much about nuance or a deeper meaning behind what you're saying. You can be really just be straightforward without feeling awkward about it, since merely the ability to express yourself is an achievement. It's easy to use humor too, just throw in some slang you learned. Jokes that would be considered cringe in your native language are often hilarious when translated because even if they don't make sense, listeners will usually try to find humor in it anyway. Once you get past the advanced stage this effect does wane a little, but then you can always move on to another language.
This has been my experience studying Thai, Khmer, and Burmese
