Special Interests / Obsessions - Why do we develop them?

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Throughout my life, I've often had a special interest, that one interest that dominates over whatever other limited interests I had. It usually related to similar things, either cartoons or maps, and often they'd be the primary thing I'd think about.

What I'm wondering is, why do so many people with Asperger's develop special interests? I've never really been able to understand why we develop them. I've often theorised that maybe it's because as we often struggle socially, having a special interest gives us a topic to talk with others.

Anybody else got any theories as to why we often develop special interests or "obsessions"?

A: Because we can, and it's enjoyable.

Now, if you'll excuse me I must go sort my lint collection.

(And yes, upon getting a usable microscope I went through a brief period of comparative lint collecting. You do NOT want to know what is in that stuff. No, I don't still have any of it.)

I want to know what's in it.

It's just another annoying unpleasant part of Autism. Like meltdowns. Meltdowns are no fun.

Obsessions have always gotten me into trouble. I've got so carried away in the past with my obsessions, that I chose to ignore any social signals that meant "stop". Since I've been with my boyfriend, I haven't really had any obsessions, so now I can feel normal again.

In the part, I did drive a lot of friends away because of my obsessions. I just had an urge to talk about them to my friends. I wish I had normal interests.

I probably developed an interest in hockey/sports because it is the only one I can 'obsess' about without being considered a total weirdo. I can't exactly go to my next social event talking about ranking the escalators in my city from longest to shortest for example or the different models of excavators. Heck, even Nintendo games was a bit of a weird interest as a child!

I blame most of my obsessions on envy. It seems I get wrapped up with certain interests perhaps thinking I can match or top those I'm envious of.
Of course some might argue that my special interests could also be my way to avoid becoming like those I despise.

I think, at least for me, it's because of how I think about acquiring skills and knowledge. there is so much to learn and it's quite overwhelming, so if I stick to a very small amount of things that I like the most, then I can get into them in depth.

Feather strands, sand, soil, exoskeleton bits (mostly leg & antenna parts), synthetic & natural fibers, spiderweb silk, plastic, sawdust, plaster dust or chalk, paper fibers, plant leaf bits, tiny shed exoskeletons of mites, ants & spiders, raisins. Oh, and cheerios dust. I strongly suspect the last two may have been particular to the age of our children at the time.

Sometimes I wonder whether it's the rhythm of it. There are a lot of things about ASD that involve rhythm being soothing and enjoyable. Rocking, stimming, echolalia, etc. Well, I think of my interests as sort of a rhythm. It's the same basic thing over and over again, with small changes along the way (i.e. the specific details). But the WAY I enjoy my special interests is very rhythmic. The way I like to research them, the things I like to do with them, etc. It's almost like a song.

I get into a "special interest" primarily because I enjoy it, and it keeps me calm and focused.

Ohhh, eggsiting, eggsoskeleton bits.
What about insect eggs?

I had my first (my life long) Special Interest long before I even knew what 'theories' meant!

Astronomy ~ age 4-6.

Who knows? Who cares? All I know is they're a safe place where I know I can go at any time and they give me unrivaled pleasure and enjoyment I couldn't even get from an around the world tour (not that I want that anyway).

Don't question. Just enjoy and thank the maker, you have them!

Well, it could be the case that we develop them in order to cope with life. Especially if we have difficulty with socializing.

When I was young, I played video games with most of my free time. I would spend most of the day on a console or computer if given the chance. Maybe this isn't uncommon anymore (which is alarming) but in the 90s games were still up and coming relative to what we have today. It could have been considered a special interest back then. It was the only thing I really wanted to do, to the extent that I would try to discover exploits for my own amusement. I think games served as a distraction from what was going on internally. They still do in some ways.

*Also when I was younger, I was really interested in storm chasing/meteorology. I collected Weather Channel documentaries FFS.

As I've grown older, my interests/obsessions have shifted towards sociocultural issues that I see in the world. The things that are slow and agonizing to change. This isn't exactly a healthier replacement for games, I have to say, but it does provide some empowerment if you're able to promote and live by what you value most. It's a double-edged sword in that the things I focus on most are painful but also purposeful.

Thats it I believe. Along with establishing a sense of order and control.

Waaaay to difficult to identify, if there were any. They would've likely been dried up & tiny. Oh, I forgot hair from multiple species of mammals. And just to clarify? This was HOUSE lint, not belly-button, because...ugh, that would be so gross.

I had many special interests growing up, and still do. For me, they were a safe haven from the neurotypical world. My special interests took away the loneliness and anxiety I always felt. I think my earliest special interest was Winnie the Pooh. I was about one year old when my family and I were going to make an all-day drive to Minnesota, and they bought a Winnie the Pooh coloring book to keep me occupied, even though I wasn't old enough to color. They tell me that I spent the whole trip alternating between sleeping, staring out the window, and just staring happily at the pictures in the Winnie the Pooh coloring book. As long as I had the coloring book, they didn't hear a peep out of me.

There were other animated movies that developed into special interests for me, too (such as Dumbo, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Chicken Run, etc) but i'm fairly certain that Winnie the Pooh was my first crystallized special interest.

...I think the special interest that ended up really driving my mom crazy was my special interest in catfish when I was about 5.