Instead, the ventral striatum (reward center) in autistic brains lit up when engaging in repetitive behaviors or gathering data on our “restricted” (a.k.a. special) interests. Plainly put, we rely on more quantifiable barometers than smiles to assess achievement and social approval: grades, points, degrees, titles, Instagram followers … and, as I’ll come to explain, less innocuous, body-focused standards, too.
