Temple Grandin’s “Happy Aspies”

The NYRB carries a very sympathetic review of Temple Grandin’s latest book, The Autistic Brain. Towards the end, the article includes some quotes from the book in which Grandin argues that if “Aspies” receive appropriate support and opportunities to develop their specific strengths, they can make unique contributions to society (and perhaps receive proper recognition for these). As a prime example, she cites “all the undiagnosed Asperger’s cases in Silicon Valley” whom she calls “Happy Aspies.”

The joys of high blood pressure

A new study has found that “teenagers with high blood pressure appear to have better psychological adjustment and enjoy higher quality of life than those with normal blood pressure.” These results were a bit counterintuitive, so the researchers tried to come up with plausible explanations. Some of these are psychological, but one is mostly physiological in nature – they speculate that “high blood pressure may actually act to dampen negative emotions.”