Behind the Mask

A Hypothesis of Neurodivergence as the Norm

This is a hypothesis. I am not currently able to test the hypothesis, but if anyone else is interested in pursuing it, please feel free to contact me and I will gladly provide the Metric Model I have created that should allow for the analysis to prove/disprove the theoretical underpinnings. I would also like to note that I have not done extensive research on other viewpoints for this hypothesis. I had an idea, probably from reading articles in neurodivergent spaces, and decided to flesh it out. I have avoided directly linking to other people’s work, to avoid adding in any additional bias to the hypothesis. Now that it is fleshed out, I will be jumping into further reading on the subject. So I apologize if I have misrepresented any specific aspect of this issue. Mistakes will be rectified in time.

There is a growing recognition within neurodiversity-affirming, disability justice, and critical psychology communities that what we call "neurodivergence" may, in fact, reflect the broad and natural spectrum of human cognition. In contrast, "neurotypicality" may be better understood not as a neutral baseline but as a socially enforced performance. This shift in perspective reframes the entire landscape of mental and cognitive difference. Rather than marking divergence from a fixed center, it invites us to question whether the center itself has been artificially constructed, and at what cost.

The Construct of Neurotypicality

Many of the traits categorized as neurotypical, such as consistent eye contact, emotional regulation under stress, productivity under rigid conditions, and social fluency, are not biologically universal. Instead, they closely align with behaviors that support specific cultural and economic systems. These include capitalist models of productivity, standardized education systems, and norms of emotional containment that facilitate social control. When these traits are idealized, they become less about natural variation and more about adaptation to externally imposed structures.

This suggests that neurotypicality is not a reflection of the most common or healthy human cognitive pattern. Rather, it is an aspirational standard, one that often requires people to suppress core aspects of their natural being.

Human Diversity as Evolutionary Wisdom

Throughout human history, across geographies and cultures, individuals have exhibited a rich variety of sensory, cognitive, emotional, and social expressions. Traits such as nonlinear thinking, heightened sensitivity, deep pattern recognition, and unique relational modes have persisted across generations, indicating they offer adaptive value rather than dysfunction. These variations should not be dismissed as noise or pathology. They are the evolutionary groundwork for creativity, resilience, and collective intelligence.

In this light, neurodivergence is not a deviation from the norm, it is the norm. What we call divergence may be the biological expression of a species designed to be cognitively diverse.

Masking as a Social Survival Mechanism

The idea that neurotypicality is a natural state dissolves when we examine the phenomenon of masking. Masking refers to the process by which individuals suppress or disguise their natural behaviors in order to meet social expectations. This includes performing social scripts, mimicking eye contact, hiding stimming behaviors, or emotionally flattening oneself to seem appropriate or palatable.

If most so-called neurotypical behaviors are actually learned adaptations to avoid punishment or gain acceptance, then what we are observing is not a distinct neurological category. It is a survival strategy embedded so deeply it begins to resemble identity. In many cases, individuals internalize these adaptations so thoroughly that they become unaware they are masking at all. Their sense of self becomes entangled with their performance.

Systemic Masking and the Manufacturing of “Normal”

Institutions such as schools, workplaces, and even family systems often reward compliance, linearity, and productivity. These traits are portrayed as natural, but they are culturally conditioned and systematically enforced. Educational systems, for instance, prioritize sitting still, listening quietly, and reproducing information. These expectations disproportionately punish those who process the world differently, especially those with heightened sensory sensitivity or divergent attention patterns .

In this view, neurotypicality is not the absence of divergence. It is the presence of chronic adaptation. It is a mask that society demands, rewards, and internalizes.

When the Mask Breaks: Emergent Neurodivergence

Many people only come to understand their neurodivergence after experiencing burnout, trauma, or the unraveling of coping mechanisms. What is often labeled as a “late diagnosis” may not be the onset of a new condition, but the collapse of the mask. The traits were always there, obscured beneath layers of adaptation.

This revelation challenges the binary of neurotypical and neurodivergent. Instead, we might imagine a spectrum that tracks the depth of masking rather than the presence or absence of difference. On this spectrum, everyone diverges in some way. What varies is how much that divergence is hidden, reshaped, or punished.

Unmasking the Consequences

If neurotypicality is largely a product of long-term masking, then we should expect to find signs of strain just beneath its surface. Many individuals who appear “high-functioning” or “well-adjusted” live in a state of physiological and emotional cost. Chronic masking has been linked to allostatic overload, a form of stress that accumulates over time and manifests through digestive disorders, sleep disruption, chronic fatigue, and somatic anxiety.

Emotional flattening is another frequent result. In trying to regulate or hide emotions deemed inappropriate, such as grief, anger, or exuberance, individuals may begin to lose connection with their inner life. Emotional authenticity is traded for performance. This can lead to delayed emotional reactions, internalized shame, and disconnection from both self and others.

Perfectionism, overcontrol, and relational inauthenticity often emerge as additional symptoms. People may strive tirelessly to maintain an image of competence, while privately feeling like imposters. Interpersonal relationships can become filtered through anxiety and scripting, making genuine connection feel out of reach.

A Call to Reframe and Reclaim

If we accept that neurodivergence is the human baseline, then what we call “neurotypicality” must be understood as a system-maintained illusion. It is not an identity rooted in biology, but a role played under pressure. The implications of this are far-reaching. Rather than encouraging people to fit in, we might begin to ask how systems can be transformed to fit people.

This is not to suggest that people labeled neurotypical are inauthentic. Rather, many are unknowingly engaged in self-suppression in order to survive. They too may carry hidden wounds from decades of compliance, perfectionism, and social expectation.

By loosening our grip on rigid ideas of normal, we make room for everyone including those who have never felt like they belonged. to reclaim their authentic cognitive life.

Conclusion

Behind the mask of neurotypicality may lie a vast and beautiful diversity of minds. What we call “normal” is often a high-cost adaptation, shaped by systems that reward sameness and suppress variation. Unmasking is not merely an act of self-liberation. It is a collective invitation to reimagine what it means to be fully human.