Neurodiverse people (ASD, ADHD, HSP and gifted) tend to be more creative than neurotypicals and are often found among writers. Fairy tales have been researched from a wide variety of angles, however, to my knowledge, there is hardly any research that links fairy tales to neurodiversity. So, here are some fairy tales that reflect common experiences of neurodiverse people.
- The Princess and the Pea: high sensitivity and insomnia
This fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson should actually be a pretty straightforward one. One thing that all neurodiverse people have in common is their high sensitivity (sensory processing sensitivity). It’s probably a story that has made many people on the spectrum wonder if the princess wasn’t autistic. Another, related, common issue among neurodiverse people is insomnia, due to overstimulation, the inability to shut down or perceiving low-level stimuli that prevent sleep.
- The Ugly Duckling: discovering the beauty of your difference
Hans Christian Anderson was said to have claimed that the Ugly Duckling was the story of his life. Neurodiverse try hard to fit in, especially in their teens. Many fail and feel like the ugly duckling. Many neurodiverse people only discover the beauty of being different in adulthood and understand that they were never meant to be ducks in the first place. Unfortunately, many neurodiverse people never discover that at all.
The Emperor’s New Clothes: (not) understanding status games
The story of the emperor who falls victim to two swindlers posing as weavers who offer to supply him with magnificent clothes that are invisible to those who are stupid or incompetent is another Anderson classic. The amazing thing here is the level of group-think and conformity that can be achieved with this simple invisible then stupid rule. The boy who breaks out in laughter obviously doesn’t get the rule. Paradoxically it is by not understanding/following social rules that he exposes the fraud. When Greta Thunberg said that her ASD gave her the superpower to see through people’s lies many people probably didn’t understand. In case you are among them, think of the child in this fairy tale. Which lies was she talking about? That climate-change deniers have hidden motives, such as not wanting to give up their beloved SUVs as status symbols. A lot of neurodiverse people discover their talent for comedy early on. These are the (often gifted) class clowns who make their peers laugh by seeing through other people's BS. In fact, comedians are some of the most important people in a healthy democracy, as they are among the first to uncover authoritarian and anti-democratic tendencies. One comedian was even elected president of Ukraine, but this is a story most people probably know by now.
- Peter Pan: the difficulty of navigating the adult neurotypical world
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie is an all-time favourite story among neurodiverse people. Peter-Pan Syndrome is not a recognized mental health condition. However, the struggles of having to grow up and choose a career path are all too familiar to neurodiverse people. Why? I have argued that neurodiverse people have hunter-gatherer genes in contrast to neurotypicals who have more farmer-herder genes. Hierarchy, authority and a 9-5 routine job are nothing a neurodiverse person looks forward to. It’s hard enough in school, it can get worse in a job. That is why neurodiverse people are drawn to creative occupations like writing where they can be independent, follow their special interests and don’t have to conform to group-think.
For more on the hunter-gatherer hypothesis and literature check out my book: Literature: The Human Experience: A view from evolutionary psychology
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