Asperger's syndrome: Difference between revisions

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Psychopathic traits include a lower arousal threshold (less or no fear, desire for extreme stimulation, very low inhibition) and it is argued these improve mating success in men, whereas autism clearly is detrimental to mating success.<ref>https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-019-00213-0</ref>
Psychopathic traits include a lower arousal threshold (less or no fear, desire for extreme stimulation, very low inhibition) and it is argued these improve mating success in men, whereas autism clearly is detrimental to mating success.<ref>https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-019-00213-0</ref>


Overskied (2016) argued that many powerful politicians throughout recent history, such as as Angela Merkel, Lyndon B Johnson, and Nelson Mandela, among others, exhibited significant subclinical autistic traits, and the increase in male [[reproductive success]] associated with this status could explain some of the apparent rise in the prevalence of ASD in recent times. Overskied attempted to explain the discrepancy in the diagnosis of the disorder by sex by noting the reproductive success associated with high status is typically only found in men, with women's high status decreasing their reproductive success. He claims these subclinical autistic behaviors shared a common cause with actual autism, pre-natal testesterone exposure, in accordance with Baron-Cohen's extreme male brain theory. He also stated that the high cortisol levels often found in autistics may serve to inhibit the expression of such socially dominant behaviors in them, whereas the powerful figures he claimed exhibited sub-clinical autistic traits may not be subject to such high cortisol levels. <ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5005963/</ref>
In a similar vein, Overskied (2016) argued that many powerful politicians throughout recent history, such as as Angela Merkel, Lyndon B Johnson, and Nelson Mandela, among others, exhibited significant subclinical autistic traits, and the increase in male [[reproductive success]] associated with this status could explain some of the apparent rise in the prevalence of ASD in recent times. Overskied attempted to explain the discrepancy in the diagnosis of the disorder by sex by noting the reproductive success associated with high status is typically only found in men, with women's high status decreasing their reproductive success. He claims these subclinical autistic behaviors shared a common cause with actual autism, pre-natal testesterone exposure, in accordance with Baron-Cohen's extreme male brain theory. He also stated that the high cortisol levels often found in autistics may serve to inhibit the expression of such socially dominant behaviors in them, whereas the powerful figures he claimed exhibited sub-clinical autistic traits may not be subject to such high cortisol levels. <ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5005963/</ref>


Other theorists have claimed that autism or autistic traits represent an extreme slow [[life history]] strategy (later age of reproduction, slower growth, focus on acquiring resources instead of early reproduction, and so on), with autistic traits perhaps being associated with the acquisition of specialized skills that may have served to enhance the eventual reproductive success of individuals that bear these traits in human's ancestral past. Some research has indicated that autistic traits are associated with other traits that reflect a slow life history strategy, while schizotypic traits were found to possibly reflect a fast life history strategy.<ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513814000580</ref>
Other theorists have claimed that autism or autistic traits represent an extreme slow [[life history]] strategy (later age of reproduction, slower growth, focus on acquiring resources instead of early reproduction, and so on), with autistic traits perhaps being associated with the acquisition of specialized skills that may have served to enhance the eventual reproductive success of individuals that bear these traits in human's ancestral past. Some research has indicated that autistic traits are associated with other traits that reflect a slow life history strategy, while schizotypic traits were found to possibly reflect a fast life history strategy.<ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090513814000580</ref>

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