Book Review: Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin

This book is amazing. One would think a book on neuroscience and behavior would be unapproachable, but the prose of this book makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

Temple Grandin is an autistic woman who works designing facilities for the cattle industry. She posits that since she thinks in pictures instead of words, she (and other autistics) think more like animals than other humans do. Her track record would seem to indicate that she's right.

This book gives an excellent insight into the workings of the brain, ranging from inattentional blindness -- why gorillas become invisible at basketball games, through the effects of selective breeding -- frequently psychotic animals, to why we should not consider animals stupid -- they're incredibly smart, just in a different way than humans are. She also gives great advice to pet owners on how they should treat their animals.

One of the key points she makes is regarding hyperspecificity. To animals, and autistics, one red baseball cap is not the same as another. They tend to see the differences when they look at things, whereas normal humans over-generalize.

I was particularly impressed by her description of the "seeking circuit" a portion of the brain that releases dopamine when stimulated that is stimulated by the hint of something we want, but that turns off the moment said thing is seen. Writers should see in this the reason why we don't "show the shark." The hint that something is happening, the unseen danger lurking just out of sight is primally enjoyable, but once we see something in full light, it loses its allure.

Anyone who works or lives with animals should read this book. Likewise people who work with autistics should read it to gain an appreciation for how autistics see the world. Perhaps the overall message is that we should try to see the world through the perspecitves of others.