ABSTRACT
James Fallon is a highly-regarded neuroscientist, someone who has contributed important work on Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and addiction. But he describes his own interpersonal interactions as follows:
If you knew me, you’d probably say, “Oh, he’s a fun guy”—or maybe, “He’s a big-mouth and a blowhard narcissist”—but I also think you’d say, “All in all, he’s interesting, and smart, and okay.” But here’s the thing-the closer to me you are, the worse it gets. Even though I have a number of very good friends, they have all ultimately told me over the past two years when I asked themand they were consistent even though they hadn’t talked to each other-that I do things that are quite irresponsible. It’s not like I say, Go get into trouble . I say, Jump in the water with me.
