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A review by leisurelyloner
Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening by John Elder Robison
4.0
I stumbled across this in the new arrivals section of the library and had to check it out. Very intriguing reading about both Mr. Robinson's vivid personal experiences, as well general speculation about where this experimentation could ultimately take us. He explores both its potential for great transformation and its possible downside: could making a brain more "neurotypical" possibly snuff out the unusual gifts and abilities of people on the autism spectrum, or those with other neurological differences?
As somone who is not on the autism spectrum but was likely born with a naturally more inhibited, anxiety-prone temperament, I wonder about the appeal of this sort of thing even in people who don't have a clinical disorder. Would people want to use this to make "cosmetic" changes in their personalities, making themselves feel less fear and caution in new situations, or a greater sense of reward from socializing or risk-taking? Could making oneself more detached and emotionally blunted, the opposite of Mr. Robison's treatment, become a desired procedure for some people, people in lines of work where it's better to be "switched off"?
Fascinating area of research, and I'll definitely be keeping up with its developments.
As somone who is not on the autism spectrum but was likely born with a naturally more inhibited, anxiety-prone temperament, I wonder about the appeal of this sort of thing even in people who don't have a clinical disorder. Would people want to use this to make "cosmetic" changes in their personalities, making themselves feel less fear and caution in new situations, or a greater sense of reward from socializing or risk-taking? Could making oneself more detached and emotionally blunted, the opposite of Mr. Robison's treatment, become a desired procedure for some people, people in lines of work where it's better to be "switched off"?
Fascinating area of research, and I'll definitely be keeping up with its developments.