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 discusses reader comments on his 'Crazy Like Us' book review, covering topics like PTSD, cultural influences on mental illness, and cross-cultural prevalence of schizophrenia. Longer summary

This post discusses several comments on Scott's review of 'Crazy Like Us', touching on topics like PTSD in ancient vs modern soldiers, cultural influences on mental illness, childhood sexual abuse, and cross-cultural prevalence of schizophrenia. Scott reflects on these comments, providing additional context and sometimes revising his views based on new information presented. 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 examines the conflict between predictive processing theory and evolutionary psychology claims about innate knowledge, questioning how genes could directly encode complex preferences. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the tension between predictive processing (PP) theory and evolutionary psychology claims about innate knowledge. He argues that while PP can accommodate some genetic influences on cognition, it struggles to explain how genes could directly encode high-level concepts like 'attraction to large breasts.' The post questions how such specific preferences could be genetically programmed given the limited number of genes humans have. Scott acknowledges that instincts clearly exist in animals, but suggests that even seemingly innate traits like gender identity may involve some level of inference. He proposes a heuristic for evaluating evolutionary psychology claims, recommending skepticism towards ideas that genes can directly manipulate high-level concepts unless there's a compelling evolutionary reason. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander humorously responds to bizarre search terms that have led people to his blog, covering a wide range of topics with wit and sarcasm. Longer summary

This blog post is a humorous compilation of unusual and often absurd search terms that have led people to Scott Alexander's blog. Scott provides witty responses to many of these search queries, showcasing his characteristic blend of humor, skepticism, and intellectual curiosity. The post touches on various topics including misspellings of the blog's name, peculiar questions about aliens and ethics, recurring themes of incest-related searches, and random philosophical or scientific inquiries. Scott's responses range from puns and pop culture references to sarcastic remarks and occasional genuine concern. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of gender identity, relating it to his personal experience and scientific understanding, and poses questions about the nature of gender identity in cisgender individuals. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of gender identity, inspired by Ozy Frantz's blog post on 'Cis By Default'. He explores the idea that some people have strong gender identities while others don't, relating it to his own experience of being 'cis by default'. Scott describes how his understanding of transgender issues evolved through learning about phantom limb sensations, body integrity identity disorder, and the neurological basis of gender identity. He proposes two hypotheses: Ozy's idea that some people have gender identity and others don't, and an alternative where everyone has gender identity but it's only noticeable when it doesn't match biological sex. The post ends with a question to readers about their experiences with gender identity. Shorter summary