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Thread: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

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    Chicagoeditor
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    Default Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Fascinating feature in today's New York Times Magazine on Williams syndrome, "a genetic accident that causes cognative deficits an a surplus of unguarded affabilily."

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Huh? Splain please for plebians like myself!

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Excerpts from Williams Syndrome Association website article (What is Williams Syndrome?)

    Williams syndrome is a rare genetic condition (estimated to occur in 1/7,500 births) which causes medical and developmental problems.

    Overly friendly (excessively social) personality
    Individuals with Williams syndrome have a very endearing personality. They have a unique strength in their expressive language skills, and are extremely polite. They are typically unafraid of strangers and show a greater interest in contact with adults than with their peers.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    It sounds like a good way to get in serious troub.


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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Huh-it actually doesn't sound bad at all to me except for the part where they're more comfortable speaking with adults rather than their peers. That could lead to getting molested or even something worse. But, overly friendly (excessively social) personality individuals with Williams syndrome have a very endearing personality. They have a unique strength in their expressive language skills, and are extremely polite-not so bad, imo.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Quote Originally Posted by virgoamm View Post
    Huh-it actually doesn't sound bad at all to me except for the part where they're more comfortable speaking with adults rather than their peers. That could lead to getting molested or even something worse. But, overly friendly (excessively social) personality individuals with Williams syndrome have a very endearing personality. They have a unique strength in their expressive language skills, and are extremely polite-not so bad, imo.
    Yea, but if any of us had a choice in the matter, who among us would choose to be born with this syndrome, or would choose for their children to be born this way just for the positive benefits? I mean, sure there are worse things, but the negatives associated with the syndrome are sucky. Just the social stigma people go through when they are developmentally disabled and clearly slow at learning is brutal.

  7. #7
    Tart
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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Is it just me,or does it seem that there is a friggin' syndrome for everything?

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Ummm, it causes a host of other defects. No, I would not choose this for my child.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    I'm not sure I'd want this for mine, but I'm not sure I'd want them as antisocial as me either:p
    I'm having to force myself out because the loneliness is unbearable. I actually look forward to going to work lately just hoping to meet someone interesting to talk to. I'm really pissy with the normal type of custy lately.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Quote Originally Posted by xdamage View Post
    Yea, but if any of us had a choice in the matter, who among us would choose to be born with this syndrome, or would choose for their children to be born this way just for the positive benefits? I mean, sure there are worse things, but the negatives associated with the syndrome are sucky. Just the social stigma people go through when they are developmentally disabled and clearly slow at learning is brutal.
    Hey, I agree with you 100% on that. I wouldn't want my child to be born with any sort of 'syndrome', I was just pointing out that having an endearing personality and being social are not bad things to have at all.

    I've never heard of Williams syndrome before other than this thread and the info given here, so I was just pointing out some things that were labled as bad that are actually not.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    I think the Douglas Adams' short story in the Zaphod Plays it Safe, some of these people escaped.
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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Quote Originally Posted by virgoamm View Post
    I've never heard of Williams syndrome before other than this thread and the info given here, so I was just pointing out some things that were labled as bad that are actually not.
    It is very interesting to me that a syndrome can have such a dramatic effect on a person's personality (in this case, one that some would call a positive effect). At least it further makes me wonder how much of our personality is genetic and how much is learned socially.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Quote Originally Posted by Tart View Post
    Is it just me,or does it seem that there is a friggin' syndrome for everything?
    Not just you. Seems like we have to give a title to everything these days. Whatever happened to unusual people just being called eccentric?

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Quote Originally Posted by Raven_Reno View Post
    Not just you. Seems like we have to give a title to everything these days. Whatever happened to unusual people just being called eccentric?
    Seriously. As Chris Rock said: "What ever happened to Crazy? Did we eliminate crazy from the dictionary?"
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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    i saw a documentary on pbs about this syndrome. it's very interesting. but the parents have to keep a close eye on them because of the "niceness" (being taken advantage of etc..)

    if i'm not mistaken, they also have a very distinctive facial structure or eye color thing...i can't remember it's been a while.





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    Chicagoeditor
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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    Quote Originally Posted by sassysummer View Post
    if i'm not mistaken, they also have a very distinctive facial structure or eye color thing...
    In the NY Times Magazine feature they are physically described in ways that made me think instantly of "elves." Imagine encountering a Williams Syndrome person in an English forest in, say, 806 AD. Yup, you'd think he was a cheerful, friendly, oddly strange little person--i.e., an elf.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    yeah there are a lot of medical problems associated with this syndrome.
    google williams syndrome and then click images, there are photos of what these people characteristically look like.

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    Default Re: Williams syndrome and the neuroscience of sociability

    oh another thing i remembered is that many of them were incredibly talented musicians!





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