too shy, shy**

I saw a story online yesterday about some study in Norway, or perhaps it was Finland, that claimed premature babies grew up to be more shy, less likely to marry, less likely to have children, and more likely to be autistic. I'm not sure what's more offensive in this conflation. The implication that shyness means social retardation means borderline autism? The implication that not marrying and/or not procreating means social retardation means borderline autism? That implication that shyness leads to not marrying or that not marrying is due to shyness? It's all very WTF? as far as I'm concerned, and I wonder how much of that is due to the study itself being really crap and how much is due to the typically horrific "science" reporting in the media. Or, most probably, whether it's a mixture of the two.

The one thing that did interest me is that they posited that because premature babies' neurological systems are immature, they are easily overstimulated, and thus, may turn inward and become more comfortable with their inner world than the outer. I was a premature baby. And you all know how absolutely entranced by my own inner world I am. I'm not saying I buy the theory. I'm just saying it's an interesting one. However, I do firmly reject any implication that there's anything wrong with being entranced with your own inner world.

Do these people *want* any art and literature in the world? God.

xoxo

**The post I deleted last night was called "hey jealousy." Maybe I'll just title every single entry I write from now till the end of the month with the name of an 80s or 90s pop song. You know I could do it.