hyperfixation

But he is aware of drawbacks, too: hyperfocus goes with unhelpful hyperfixation, thinking laterally with thinking too literally, and, while “we might be amazing at analysing data, if you don’t understand my spreadsheet, you’re an idiot”. Harkness also acknowledges a tension many neurodivergent conservationists will always have to negotiate: “We’d rather spend our time with the thing that we most want to keep safe than the people who wreak havoc upon it.

Biodiversity needs neurodiversity, says insightful new book Richard Smyth 2025