
How working memory gets you through the day - charlysl
http://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-picower-how-working-memory-gets-you-through-the-day-1024
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throwaway487548
> It’s also profoundly debilitating when it is diminished by disorders such as
> schizophrenia or autism.

First of all, autism is better characterized as inability to cope with one's
own emotions, which results in a state similar to permanent tension or stress
(without being aware of it or knowing any better), which autistic people are
trying to compensate with acquired/learned behavioral patterns that keeps them
less tense (avoiding eye contact is the obvious example). This is why
performance in some tests is lower - we have real difficulties with self-
control, with concentration on the task. Working memory is OK, when we in the
rare state of so-called flow we perform well. Usually above average.

Solitude and some meditation techniques (habitual return to state of being
100% idle) helps a lot.

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fromthestart
>when we in the rare state of so-called flow we perform well. Usually above
average.

I would say this is part of the so called "superpower" that autism provides.
Once a subject becomes interesting enough to allow for flow, the associated
hyperfocus facilitates hours of intense, deep work. The downside is that most
subjects are not remotely engaging.

I liken autism to a very narrow, but large Q factor (resonance). Most subjects
are uninteresting, but when something does resonate, the interest is
engrossing and intense. So life can easily become a monotony punctuated by
moments of passion. I also may be describing ADHD to some extent.

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gpvos
This seems to be the actual research article:
[https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(18)30825-0](https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273\(18\)30825-0)

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rootw0rm
you ever want to see first hand how it gets you through the day, try some
phenazepam.

