Special Interests: Why

Post Reply New Topic

I've been wondering, off an on, why, as far as I can tell, the majority of people on the autism spectrum have at least one special interest. I know for me it's hard to identify my special interests, because I figure everyone is interested in those things.

Before I go off into some rambling about my special interests, or how my cold is making me a bit loopy, I wanted to know WHY we have special interests more than other groups of people, and why they seem to be so random.

As an example, I want to know why one of my special interests is World War One. For some reason I find this war to be completely fascinating. World War 2, Vietnam, Korean wars, all are rather boring for me. But give me anything about World War One and it's like a drug for me. I want to know why! Why am I so interested in this one war, and not other wars? One of my other, more minor, interests is history itself, so I do enjoy learning about other time periods, but I don't get the same feeling of excitement and satisfaction when I read about other battles or wars outside of World War One.

I just want to know why this is, I haven't been able to find anything that gives any kind of answers for this behavior. Any musings or papers or articles would be fantastic.

I, too, find WWI to be the most fascinating war in the 20th century (I consider it to be an extension of the 19th century, in all but date). I studied history in university (history minor on my degree).

Anyway, this is just personal opinion, but I think perhaps we focus on special interests like NT's focus on social stuff - maybe from some alternate brain wiring, or from something else. Of course, I easily could be wrong - I also think it may just be a genetic quirk that goes along with Autism/Aspergers for some random reason.

I think most people have special interests, although a lot these are subsumed by common culture - current movies, video games, etc. - but we seem to exhibit a particular intensity in our areas of interest. An "Asperger intensity." I can still hear my 2nd wife groaning about my "project(s)" - like, "why do you pursue your 'hobby' with a zeal approaching 'professionalism'?" I do not know why! It has been the curse of my life in many ways. On the other hand, I know more about the 1970's hard rock band Bloodrock than its own members. And I'm divorced, big surprise.

i got into computers most reluctantly, and only because it would enable me to make noisefree versions of my noisy crackly old phonograph recordings [i have thousands of 'em], because i could find no effective analog methods of cleaning up the sound of my flat friends. otherwise, other than at work, i'd have nothing to do with the infernal machines.

Mine tend to provide me with a bit of an emotional 'kick', I enjoy them and am happiest when engaged with them. Therefore I want to spend more time involved with them etc... Why those things give me that kick and others dont I really dont know, but it is like that with everyone, no one is equally interested in everything. I think it is more extreme in me than in others, and I am happy enough with few deep interests, not lots of shallow ones. I am wondering if maybe the key is in the emotions, and what triggers positive emotions, and how that all works, I have noticed my relationship with my emotions seems to be a bit different to most others. Hmmm....

I get obsessed with people. Why??? I don't know. I hate getting obsessed with people, because it makes me more depressed because I get so obsessed with certain people so much that I want to be like them in every way but know I can't, and I just get bored and angry with being me.

True.

The kicker difference here is the time; the 24/7 intensity of it; this unusual obsessive nature or consuming 'enamored -ness' quality about them.

I believe (or have a hunch) the one-ness or singleness of thought is related to the "executive functioning" aspect of the brain -- a repetitiveness of behavior on a cognitive level . An ordinary interest that has an unusual inertial quality about it -- a 'stuckness quality,' if you will, locking you into a track or *rut* via executive dysfunctioning.

It's probably because there haven't been very many movies made about WWI, and no real good ones. So that would tend to make you more curious about it.

I liked that mini-series about Adolf Hitler as a young man that came out a while back. Part of it was about him being a low-ranking soldier during World War I.

I do that exactly thing too...Instead of communicating with them, I want to turn into them.

I have focused quite a bit on why many of us have these special intense interests in the way that we do (so absorbing). My reasoning comes from my experiences with Asperger's and these interests---not necessarily the reasons for others.

I have never required, nor wanted, much social contact with others---except for my family. My thrill in life (and yes I mean thrill) often comes from my special intense interests. I believe for me they replace the social friendships that the majority of people on this earth need.

My interests come in different types. For example, I have interests that seem to fascinate me year long---and for as many years as I can remember (such as roller coasters and house plans). I then have interests that come and go (perhaps one month out of the year, or perhaps occasionally throughout life) like magic tricks and caving. With some of these I collect vast amounts of things associated with them. I have a large collection of magic tricks and illusions. I also have vast amounts of house plans and books on roller coasters. There are interests that come and go (perhaps once every few years or so) like ancient Indian earthworks. I will research those to no end learning all I can about them---and formulating my own theories about them backed by what I believe to be valid research. I also have some interests that may fascinate me once, and not again.

The way I get into these interests is extremely intense. They become the focus of my day---at work and at home---although I still focus satisfactorily on my job and my home. I manage to do what I need to do.

Now, let me tell you about my current interest---the People's Temple under Jim Jones who committed the mass suicide or killing in Guyana on November 18, 1978. I am reading a lot of material on it. I am listening to the FBI collected tapes of Jim Jones of his sermons, radio interviews, Jonestown happenings, and the horrific death tape of November 18, 1978. My research takes me into different angles than I feel most people would research. For example I wanted to know if any family was able to escape Jonestown without the loss of any family member. I came across one family where five members escaped. I then researched the death list and found one daughter who died in the mass suicide. I then found a newspaper article on this family that was written several days after the massacre and the father gave no mention of the lost daughter---just how lucky he was that his family escaped. Well...my research takes off---why did the father not acknowledge her? The paper should have mentioned the loss of the daughter, but it didn't. I want to know why? I gather questions on my interests. On Jonestown, for example, I want to know how the survivors got back to the US---and if they had to pay for air travel back home. It turns out they did. The government loaned them the air fare with an agreement to pay it back. I have spent considerable time listening to their 1973 People's Temple choir record as I try to figure out the magnetic influence of this past church---in addition to the sermon tapes of Jim Jones. What is happening is this---if I continue to research this church, I will become an expert on it. But I will probably go to some other interest before then.

But...

With roller coasters it is different. I have not abandoned that interest---so I have become an expert on roller coasters (particularly vintage wooden roller coasters).

We can also experience some of our interests. I can ride roller coasters. I can tour houses whose floorplans fascinate me. But I cannot experience Jonestown for real because it has already happened (nor would I want to have experienced that). What I can do is to include something about Jonestown (or other interest) into some story that I am writing. I can allow a character to experience something---making it into historical fiction.

Although I will discuss some of my interests with others---I really like to keep my interests and my work with them more a private thing. While most people actively talk about their interests such as sports, etc., I do not always do that. I believe my interests become a part of me, and I do not always feel comfortable opening myself up to others such as my emotions. My interests thus become part of me and I do not open them up often. I usually hide my emotions from others because I feel uncomfortable showing them---and these interests can lurk amongst those emotions. But---roller coasters are something most people know about me as I have been known to ramble on about them many times in my past to others around me.

While most people seem to enjoy sharing their interests with others, I often do not. Take model railroads for example. Many people who are really into these will join model railroad clubs where the members work together. I, on the other hand, have my train stuff tucked away in the basement and upstairs hobby room of my house---I work alone on them. I enjoy them alone. That is how I want it. That is how I enjoy them.

My main interest from 2 until 6 was pop-up sprinklers. But then, roller coasters took over, and it has never stopped. I love having the interest. I, too, would like to know what causes these abnormally intense interests

i've tried doing research on the neuroscience behind why people in general become fascinated with things, but i didn't find ANYTHING!

my own theory is that the pleasure center of the brain becomes associated with a topic, and an "interest" is just a combination of pleasure with a specific thing such as physics. because people who have asperger's syndrome have more brain plasticity, this connection becomes more permanent.

i decided to classify special interests into "major" and "minor" categories. for me, science (specifically physics) is a major special interest because i've always had it, and i don't forsee it ever changing, but minor interests fluctuate after they're completely understood or "solved".

That seems to be true.

Many very empathic, socially-savvy/popular peers with communication skills within the range of what's considered typical who I know have the worst obsessive interests.

They're not "nerds" and few of them are thought of as "weird" but they are occupied for a great amount of time (and during small talk, they bring their topic(s) up often and regularly too) with video games, movies, characters from movies and books, with books and magazines, clothes, celebrities, sports, their job, IT, financial stuff, politics, economics, huge businesses, animals and pets... all very single-minded and driven.

I poke fun at it sometimes by saying that they are "obsessed". By all means, they are obsessed, they just know more or less when it might be a good idea to shut up about it when in company.

I think a lot of it has to do with the ability that we can hyper focus on things that we're interested in and we like peaceful environments as well as we don't mind being alone. I'm not sure exactly all of the reasons though.

On the more general topic, my opinion (non-professional) is that those on the spectrum have special interests for the same reason that we stim and perform repetitive rituals: It's comforting. A special interest is something with which we are familiar and feel safe, so we can soothe ourselves emotionally by studying them and talking about them. In our special interests there are no scary surprises.

I believe that this is why historical periods and information are favorite topics for special interests (mine is royal geneology) . History does not change. Although new historical information can be discovered, it is always within the context of what we already know.

My special interests bring me joy, comfort and happiness. The DJs played a lot of Kinks music in the 70s and 80s. I was born in the 70s, by the way and that's why I didn't mention the 60s. I feel this sense of joy and comfort, because those songs remind me of a happier and more innocent time in my life. I like to share my joy with the people here, so I might post something about them from time to time, not caring if I annoy the less obsessive members. That's just the way I am, and I'm not ashamed of that.