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.

• There have been only about 100 cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome documented since its discovery in the 1940s -- people with it usually have some form of brain injury, but not always. One woman went to the dentist to have some teeth pulled and when she woke up from the anesthesia, she started talking in a strange accent. [url]
• Capgras' Syndrome is a persistent delusion that a person's closest friends and relatives have been replaced by imposters -- sometimes the person with Capgras even thinks he himself (or she herself) is some kind of duplicate. This sounds like an old Steven Wright joke, but it's probably not that funny to be inexplicably paranoid about everyone you know. [url]
• Williams Syndrome is a congenital condition in which people are ultra-friendly and empathetic -- and lack any kind of suspicion or fear. Kids without a fear of strangers can get into a lot of trouble -- if only strangers weren't so horrible people.... [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: brain, brain chemistry, capgras syndrome, disorders, foreign accent syndrome, psychology, williams syndrome