July 10, 2007

Williams syndrome. The low I.Q., however, ignores two traits that define Williams more distinctly than do its deficits: an exuberant gregariousness and near-normal language skills. Williams people talk a lot, and they talk with pretty much anyone. They appear to truly lack social fear. Indeed, functional brain scans have shown that the brain’s main fear processor, the amygdala, which in most of us shows heightened activity when we see angry or worried faces, shows no reaction when a person with Williams views such faces. It’s as if they see all faces as friendly. (From the NYT Magazine.) (Be sure to check out the embedded video.)
posted by HawthorneWingo 17 years ago
  • Our previous next-door neighbor had a teenaged daughter with Williams Syndrome. She was indeed very gregarious and friendly, and generally a very nice girl. The girl in the video reminds me of her very much.
  • What a lovely, charming young lady. This poem comes to mind: GLORY be to God for dappled things— For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim; Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings; Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough; And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim. All things counter, original, spare, strange; Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?) With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim; He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change: Praise him. (And I'm not even religious.)
  • The nuances of the human brain - how some tiny difference at the smallest level can have such a profound effect on our development, and what a seemingly infinite variety of combinations and permutations there are, never ceases to fascinate.
  • This is a fascinating read. Thanks HW!
  • I forgot to credit Gerard Manley Hopkins.
  • Could this be regarded as being opposite in polarity to Aspergers Syndrome?
  • RPM, I think at the end they mention this is the opposite of sociopaths. I'd love to watch that conversation. But I'm an evil person. [NOT SOCIOPATHIST]
  • One of my good childhood friends has a little brother with Williams' Syndrome. He's amazing, totally friendly and innocent. If only the entire world was like him, we'd lack any reason to kill or hurt each other.
  • We would also all be stupid and still living in trees, picking lice out of each other's bodily hairs.
  • Possible, though my friend's brother is quite charming, wears clothes, isn't especially hairy, and isn't stupid. I'm not sure that I agree with your assessment of our alternate history.
  • Me either, delouse him!
  • I think fuyu is attempting to assert the superiority of his sociopathic genes. :)
  • Sociopathy is a personality disorder, it's not an organic neurologic problem AFAIK, although maybe later on they'll find out that there's some kind of brain parasite or something that causes these things, like Toxoplasma gondii. Williams syndrome is traceable to an organic cause - the DNA error. Sociopathic personality does not have a known organic cause, from what I gather. Asperger's syndrome is likewise an organic issue; although the exact causes of autism are not entirely understood, it seems clear they are neurological rather than psychological. There are similarities with Williams to Aspergers. Both groups cannot read body language or facial expression. Aspergers people can learn to recognise cues by acquiring the information thru an intellectual process, but Williams people do not appear to be able to do so due to their IQ issues.
  • Sociopaths have great theory of mind. But they couldn’t care less. I actually found myself just for a moment thinking it would be kind of cool to be a sociopath...
  • Aspergers people can learn to recognise cues by acquiring the information thru an intellectual process... Cue cards?
  • /collapse
  • I actually found myself just for a moment thinking it would be kind of cool to be a sociopath... Congratulations! You have now truly discovered the internet.
  • We would also all be stupid and still living in trees, picking lice out of each other's bodily hairs. And this is totally bad because... Nice people are nice to be around.