Scott Alexander investigates the unexpectedly high prevalence of joint hypermobility in transgender individuals, exploring various theories and presenting survey data on the phenomenon. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the puzzling connection between transgender identity and hypermobile joints, particularly Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). He presents four theories to explain this correlation: 1) It's a spurious result due to 'Instagrammable' conditions clustering together, 2) Estrogen effects on joints in trans women, 3) Genetic link between gender divergence and joint issues, and 4) Autism as a shared causative factor. Scott favors a theory linking proprioception issues to different reasoning styles, potentially leading to both autism and transgender identity. He presents data from his own survey showing higher rates of joint issues in trans respondents, though with some limitations. The post concludes with plans for further investigation in future surveys. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on his 'Geography of Madness' review, revising views on culture-bound syndromes and exploring various mental health topics. Longer summary

This post discusses various comments on Scott Alexander's review of 'The Geography of Madness'. It covers topics like culture-bound syndromes, the prevalence of brief psychotic disorder, the history of school shootings, the universality of PTSD, the rise of transgender identities, and the correlation between believing in ghosts and experiencing PMS. Scott revises some of his previous views, becoming more skeptical about many traditional culture-bound syndromes and acknowledging the complexity of cultural influences on mental health conditions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that a purely biological, apolitical taxonomy of mental disorders is impossible due to ethical and practical considerations that inevitably influence classifications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the limitations of creating a purely biological, apolitical taxonomy of mental disorders. He argues that such a taxonomy is inherently impossible because the classification of mental disorders is not just a scientific issue, but also a practical and ethical one. Using examples like transgender identity, homosexuality, and pedophilia, he demonstrates how biological similarities can conflict with ethical and practical considerations in classification. The post highlights the tension between scientific accuracy, stigma avoidance, and ensuring access to necessary care. Scott concludes that new taxonomies like HiTOP are still useful, but claims of avoiding political bias in disorder classification are unrealistic. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents survey data showing autogenderphilia is common in both cisgender and transgender populations, challenging existing theories about its relationship to gender identity. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes data from the SSC survey regarding autogenderphilia, the sexual arousal from imagining oneself as a particular gender. The post challenges the theory that autogenderphilia is primarily associated with transgender individuals, showing it's common among cisgender people as well. Scott presents survey results broken down by gender identity and sexual orientation, revealing that autogenderphilia rates are high in both cis and trans populations. He proposes a simpler hypothesis: people who identify as a gender and are attracted to that gender are more likely to experience autogenderphilia. The post discusses potential limitations of the data and compares findings to existing theories, ultimately suggesting that autogenderphilia may be more widespread and less pathological than previously thought. Shorter summary

This Adversarial Collaboration Contest entry examines the evidence and debates surrounding transgender children transitioning, covering desistence rates, social transitioning, puberty blockers, and mental health outcomes. Longer summary

This post is an entry to the Adversarial Collaboration Contest, examining the complex issue of whether transgender children should transition. It covers topics such as gender dysphoria, desistence rates, social transitioning, puberty blockers, and mental health outcomes. The authors present evidence from various studies and narratives, discussing the potential benefits and risks of different approaches to supporting gender dysphoric youth. They conclude by summarizing the current state of knowledge on desistence, social transitioning, and puberty blockers, highlighting areas where more research is needed. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reports on weak correlations and inconclusive results from the latest SSC survey on optical illusions and visual perception. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the results of the latest SSC survey, focusing on optical illusions and visual riddles. He admits to being unable to expand on or strengthen his previous findings from 'Why Are Transgender People Immune To Optical Illusions' and 'Can We Link Perception And Cognition?'. While he weakly replicated some previous results, the correlations were too low to be exciting. He found minimal internal structure in the results, with different versions of the same illusion showing low correlation. The post also briefly mentions some pre-registered investigations that yielded uninteresting or negative results, including studies on political conflict theory, autism and categorization responses, and ADHD and ambition. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander hypothesizes a link between transgender identity, optical illusions, and NMDA receptor function, based on survey data and existing research on schizophrenia and autism. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores a potential link between transgender identity, optical illusions, and NMDA receptor function in the brain. He presents survey data suggesting that transgender individuals, like those with schizophrenia and autism, are less susceptible to certain optical illusions. He hypothesizes that this might be related to NMDA receptor hypofunction, which is also associated with dissociation, a common experience among transgender people. The post explores how estrogen, which enhances NMDA function, alleviates dissociation in trans women. Scott connects these findings to broader research on NMDA receptors in schizophrenia and autism, noting the higher prevalence of these conditions in transgender populations. The post concludes with several caveats and suggestions for future research to validate these speculative connections. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses how categories are human constructs that should be flexible when it serves a useful purpose, using examples from biology, astronomy, and transgender identity. Longer summary

This post discusses the concept of categorization and how it applies to various topics, including the classification of whales as fish, the definition of planets, and transgender identity. Scott argues that categories are not inherently true or false but are tools we use to make sense of the world, and that we should be flexible in our categorizations when it serves a useful purpose. He uses examples from biology, astronomy, geography, and psychiatry to illustrate his points. The post concludes by addressing criticisms of transgender identity and arguing for compassion and practicality in how we treat people with gender dysphoria. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses the lack of scientific research on nerds, exploring potential explanations for their distinct traits, including the possible role of testosterone. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the lack of scientific study on nerds, despite their distinct characteristics. He lists nine common traits associated with nerds and questions why these seemingly unrelated traits often appear together. The post considers various explanations, including social factors and biological determinism, with a focus on the potential role of testosterone. Scott examines research linking low testosterone to several nerdy traits in men, but also acknowledges conflicting evidence. He concludes by noting the complexity of sex hormones and their effects, mentioning observations about transgender individuals, and questioning whether female nerds form a distinct cluster like male nerds do. Shorter summary

Ozy responds to Spandrell's article on sexual deviancy, refuting claims about homosexuality, female paraphilias, and transgender experiences. Longer summary

This post is a response to Spandrell's article on sexual deviancy. Ozy argues against Spandrell's points on homosexuality, female paraphilias, and transgender women. They discuss animal homosexuality, the role of environment in sexual orientation, women's tendency to underreport sexual behaviors, and the existence of female paraphilias in erotic literature. Ozy also critiques Spandrell's understanding of autogynephilia and transgender experiences, arguing that autogynephilia is simply ordinary female sexuality. The post ends with Ozy addressing Spandrell's misconceptions about their own gender identity and sexual preferences. Shorter summary