There's this thing called Williams syndrome where people who have it tend to be very happy and outgoing and friendly, but it comes at a detriment because they can be TOO friendly and trusting and potentially end up in dangerous situations as a result.
I share a lot of the emotional and psychological traits, but I know I don’t have it because there are associated physical traits and I don’t have any of those.
Either way, there is definitely something going on with me where I am completely oblivious to any sort of threat or danger and, whenever my husband is concerned about a situation, he calls me "William" and I snap out of it.
He's not making fun of me or people with Williams syndrome and it's just kind of a code to alert me to potentially scary situations and I’m so grateful to have him around because I'd probably be dead or trapped in someone's basement if it weren't for him.
@acm_redfox 😂 I mean, I still don’t recognize the threat, but it does at least help me understand that we need to leave and/or get out of that situation for whatever reason.
Interesting. I tend to assume the best of people, but I guess I can afford to since I feel I read people very well, very quickly.
But I've always found myself really frustrated with other people, like "Can't you see this is obviously a liar/scammer/threat?" and only recently realized it's more than just inattention or willful blindness.
@Alice
I’ve read about WS, probably in an Oliver Sacks book. Everything we do, or experience cognitively, is on a spectrum, it seems. I suspect I lean decisively in the opposite direction. I have no recollection of circumstances in my life that would make it a reasonable reaction, but I seem to be extremely wary of anyone and everyone I meet, and find it difficult to engage. I could use a safe-word like you guys have, maybe.
@the_etrain@adhdeanasl it would be all kinds of fun. Like, "special victims" would be fellow dogs victimized by torturous situations, like a squirrel right outside the window or a treat given to the cat. The number of imaginary injustices are endless.
@qurlyjoe “So this couple, they’re smurfin’ out behind the bar’s dumpster, and BOOM, some strange dude walks up and smurfs ‘em both right in the head! It was smurfin’ brutal, I tell ya!” @gnate@the_etrain
@Alice
I had no idea there was a syndrome like this. My ex-wife was like this sort of though.
She always saw the good in people and rarely let things upset her or see a situation/event as bad.
I recall (without ever really discussing it) that if I reached for her hand and squeezed it a few times or kind of scratched her palm with my finger I could get her attention and through a look or simply saying we should leave, she would understand.
@Alice I’m the same, but I also recently saw a thing that said dogs have a thing similar to William’s syndrome and.. that makes so much sense (like it’s genetically the same or something)
This is funny to me because I'm the same. I have a good friend who gets very cross with me and about 15 years ago we agreed that if we're out somewhere and he says to me 'papaya', I have to just immediately leave no questions asked.
Now, I kinda want to protect you two at all costs.
I am also quite trusting and tend to assume the best of people at first, but my antennas (antennae?) are very astute with arseholes and potentially unsavoury as situations.
@Alice There was a BBC documentary with Oliver Sacks about specific neurological syndromes. And one of the episodes was about Williams with a girl who had all these symptoms. She was so nice and social but if I remember correctly, she couldn't do the most basic math. Really strange.
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