Alan Conrad autism, mental health, psychology, Rescuing Psychology, Rescuing Reality, Science, The social world

Autism | Theory of Mind | Do you think like a Baboon?

Sometimes psychologists try to explain autism using 'theory of mind'. Books on psychology devote whole chapters to theory of mind, but to keep a lid on this idea, I'll just quote Dictionary.com: the ability to interpret one’s own and other people’s mental and emotional states, understanding that each person has unique motives, perspectives, etc. Those … Continue reading Autism | Theory of Mind | Do you think like a Baboon?

Alan Conrad autism, mental health, psychology, Rescuing Psychology

Autism | Do we know what it is? | A review of The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic

Sociologist Gil Eyal's 2010 book The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic was a bombshell in the debate over autism. Yet over a decade later almost no one appears to have heard the explosion. The concept of autism was first presented in the 1940s, more or less simultaneously, by New York psychiatrist … Continue reading Autism | Do we know what it is? | A review of The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic

Alan Conrad mental health, psychology, Shyness

Good news for shy people | Work stress, you and your telomeres

Let's look again at Elizabeth H. Blackburn's 2017 book The Telomere Effect: a revolutionary approach to living younger, healthier, longer. Dr Blackburn is one of the leading researchers into the genetics of the telomere, that device at the ends of your DNA strands that protects them from deteriorating (often compared with the plasticized ends of … Continue reading Good news for shy people | Work stress, you and your telomeres

Alan Conrad autism, incel, introverts, mental health, psychology, The social world

Autism |Toronto’s van rampage 4 | Alek Minassian convicted – what now?

For some reason the fate of Alek Minassian continues to haunt me. How is it, I ask myself, that someone who killed 10 people and injured 16 more, some permanently, running them down in his rented van here in Toronto 15 minutes walk from my home, now convicted and awaiting sentencing, continues to elicit sympathy … Continue reading Autism |Toronto’s van rampage 4 | Alek Minassian convicted – what now?