Do You Like Trivia?
Read now (2 mins) | Why we like it, & why we're GREAT at it
April 25, 2023
Did you know 20% of Jeopardy fans identify as Autistic?
Autistic People "like" trivia more than neurotypical people and there is a really specific reason for this.
Autistic brains have mTOR overactivity, and the resulting surplus of synapses, causes a specific (and unique) pattern of brain hyperconnectivity in Autistic brains. mTOR is a protein that helps control several cell functions, including cell division and survival, and binds to rapamycin and other drugs. (Fun Fact - mTOR overproduction also leads to a reduced risk of cancer.)
This surplus of synapses makes us sensitive in all sort of different ways—some of us hate noise, some of us love it, some of us love it sometimes...It's all sort of jumbled up because we have a synapses gone wild situation going on.
It's also why it changes over time because synapses be synapsing...Â
All this hyperconnection has made scientists historically say Autistic people have good memories. And, like sure, some of us do—certainly when it comes to our areas of special interest; but that's not the actual point. The POINT is our hyperconnected brains make life feel more chaotic to us. To keep that chaos at bay we collect and store information for survival. If there is a door with a squeak that hurts our ears, we might avoid that building. We might even know we are doing it but we are just giant data storage facilities.
Because we are always seeking and storing data (about our special interests and to keep us safer from chaos) turns out we are pretty amazing at trivia. (My team's dismal performance at last week's 4/20 Weed Pub Trivia night not withstanding.)
In honor of the love of trivia in Autistic Culture, I built a game show for my co-host, Matt Lowry and our first ever guest, Faith Clarke to compete. I promise you will learn a lot about Autistic Culture if you listen in. Play at home with your friends and family!Â
This is an episode NOT to be missed and hits the highlights of our first 26 episodes in the 6 months we have been hosting the show! Episode 27: Trivia is Autistic
What’s your favorite way to play trivia? What’s your favorite fun fact? Tell me about it in the comments!
*Background note: Most people only have a vague (often, highly stereotyped) version of autism in their minds and believe that autistic children need (traumatic) ABA therapy to "overcome" their disability and appear "normal."  After receiving an autism diagnosis in her thirties, Dr. Angela Lauria realized that she too had been mostly unaware of what it means to be Autistic.  Like so many people, she started her journey by first gathering information and resources from the omnipresent (and problematic) Autism Speaks, but eventually moved away from the 'autism community' in favor of the 'Autistic community,' where she found kinship with other Autistic individuals and learned to let go of pathologizing language like 'autism spectrum disorder' and 'Asperger's Syndrome.' This autism blog (and her autism podcast, "The Autistic Culture Podcast") is meant to share her lived-experience insights to support others on a similar journey of diagnosis, understanding, and community. Embrace Autism--differences are not deficits.