DailyDirt: Curious Behavior

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The brain is an incredibly mysterious organ that can create some really bizarre psychological effects. Seemingly minor alterations to brain chemistry have resulted in profound changes in human behavior. Here are just a few examples of some interesting (and thankfully rare!) psychological syndromes. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.
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Filed Under: brain, brain chemistry, capgras syndrome, disorders, foreign accent syndrome, psychology, williams syndrome


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  • identicon
    Pixelation, 15 Oct 2012 @ 5:29pm

    Just because someone's paranoid doesn't mean their friends and family aren't imposters...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Oct 2012 @ 5:39pm

    FES or FAS...

    So do the ppl with FAS actually have real foreign accents -- or just made up accents that their brains think sound foreign? The woman who woke up after her teeth being pulled had never been to Europe, so it seems pretty impossible for her to have any kind of real British/Irish accent. But is that true for all the other cases, too? They're all just "faking" foreign accents? That must be really ridiculous sounding -- and maybe they should call that Madonna Syndrome instead.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Oct 2012 @ 5:43pm

    Sounds like bullcrap to me.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Oct 2012 @ 8:57pm

    I can imagine the Nigerian scammers running wild with a list of Williams Syndrome sufferers.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 16 Oct 2012 @ 12:07am

    Williams Syndrome is a genetic condition

    The gene involved in Williams Syndrome seems to have two completely different functions: one involving the brain, and the other involving the elasticity of the skin. As a result, Williams Syndrome people all have a similar appearance, notably with a pixie-like nose. Basically, they look like they’re from the same family.

    Oliver Sacks did a TV episode at a camp with Williams kids. They got on like a house on fire, and were very musical. But they couldn’t draw the musical instruments worth a darn.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Telelanguage, 23 Oct 2012 @ 6:57pm

    Foreign Accent Syndrome: Bouncing Back

    This is fascinating. Do sufferers of Foreign Accent Syndrome eventually go back to their original accent? If so, does it organically happen or must they undergo speech therapy?

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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