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jk1
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13 Jan 2013, 11:05 am

I have a tendency to lose interest in things that I liked before. Particularly when something I like becomes popular and many others start showing interest in it, I somehow find it less interesting and move on to something else. For example, there was a sport that I used to watch for years, but it became noticeably more popular and I lost interest and stopped watching it.

Also, when something is very popular such as movies etc, I don't feel it's for me and don't even try it. For example, the idea of "watching a movie" itself is very popular. So, I don't like watching movies, particularly Hollywood movies (no offense to Hollywood or US people - it's just that they are too popular and I admit I'm just somehow prejudiced). There are other things that tend to put me off in the same way.

I realize that this (rather spiteful) tendency of mine might be one of the reasons why I don't have much in common with others and hence don't easily make friends. Or it could be the other way around - people in general haven't been very nice to me since primary school and that caused me to develop a tendency to dislike what other people like.

Just out of curiosity, do you keep interest in something for a long time (particularly when it becomes popular)? I expect many people's like or dislike of something is not really influenced by how popular it is.



paris75007
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13 Jan 2013, 11:15 am

Maybe you are a hipster. :) Seriously, my ex husband did this all the time (officially not an Aspie, but he's a college prof, so he's close). If something was popular with the plebeian masses, he would automatically dismiss it. Probably more of a personality trait than an AS thing.



Ramba_Ral
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13 Jan 2013, 11:21 am

when something i have an interest in becomes to stressful i tend to lose interest in it until the drama around that interest dies down to a manageable level. So if that doesn't occur within a week or two i go to a fall back interest which tends to be more labor intensive. when i become too tired and irritated with that i go to my 3rd interest which is reading...when I've read all the books available to me.. i usually end up sitting in front of my desk daydreaming until an idea pops into my head and i write it out...which tends to be vague and needs fleshing out which i do then realize it's already been invented..so i continue doing this till I'm tired.. when the drama finally dies around my first interest I restart the cycle.



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13 Jan 2013, 3:25 pm

I'd never really thought about it before. When I have a new interest I will submerge myself in it, then, after a while the interest fades. Reading your post has me thinking that when something becomes popular, then everyone is talking about it and references to it start to appear everywhere. Then, perhaps it is overload kicking in, but I will not only lose interest, but avoid that interest.

It is something to think about.



CyclopsSummers
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13 Jan 2013, 3:42 pm

I tend to keep interest in something, regardless of its popularity. I'll follow stuff that's a great hit with the general public, or something that's a lot more obscure, based on my personal preferences.

I did have something like what you describe on a much smaller scale, a couple of years ago. It was when Amy Winehouse's Back To Black was released, and I thought it was a great, yet daring album concept, because of its very retro sound (moreso than her previous album Frank). I did not expect it to take off the way it ended up doing, and while I still think it's a great album, I was strangely kind of turned off when 'everyone else' was talking about the album.


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Logicalmom
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13 Jan 2013, 3:45 pm

I am covetous of things that are meaningful to me. Another paradox - I will talk at people about my interests, but if they try to make it "their own" - I rebel. :? Go figure!


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jk1
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13 Jan 2013, 10:18 pm

Logicalmom wrote:
I am covetous of things that are meaningful to me. Another paradox - I will talk at people about my interests, but if they try to make it "their own" - I rebel. :? Go figure!


I think I experience the same. I want to talk about my "special" thing, but I want it to be mine, not theirs. As soon as others show true interest in "my" thing, it is not special any more.

But in general I could be passionate about something, and then somehow suddenly lose the passion for no reason, though it doesn't happen with everything. I am envious of those people who can keep a very intense interest in a particular thing for a long time and be an expert in it.



IdahoRose
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14 Jan 2013, 12:31 am

I used to avoid popular things like the plague. Back when everyone in middle school loved Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, I always acted like I hated them even though I hadn't even watched them. Whenever anything I liked became "too popular", I forced myself to quit liking it. For example, when Naruto became so popular that people started making fun of the fans, calling them "Narutards", I forced myself to quit being interested in it and started watching less popular anime.

As an adult, I have decided to change my perspective on the grounds that sometimes, sometimes things are popular not because they appeal to the least common denominator, but because they are actually good. For example, all of my current interests - The Big Bang Theory, My Little Pony, Doctor Who and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - have been popular within the this community for different reasons, and I'm really happy that I tried them out. If I had avoided them on the basis that they were too popular, I would have missed out on something great.