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Forced special interests?

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New Member
Have you ever tried to force yourself to be interested in certain thing? I mean obsessively interested.

And before you ask: why would you do that? Well, sometimes it just might be beneficial. For example I study econometrics at the university and I'm naturally good at this stuff and with little effort I'm among the best students and I understand the topic really quite deeply but I know not much more than they teach us here. It would really be an advantange to be obsessive about it. It's the kind of thing that you don't have to do team work if you're really good at it etc., it would give me some kind of freedom.

But I always give myself just enough time to learn and the rest I spend on dogs, moomins and rocking! I know it just calls for some self discipline but I'm curious if it's possible to trick oneself to be interested and invested in something so much that mostly we can.
 
I have done it with TV shows, gritting my teeth through bad episodes, bad seasons, telling myself that "I like this show, so I must watch this." I did it for seven seasons of one show that I know think of as fairly lousy, and when it ended, I actually felt relieved. I realized I had been forcing myself to like it because ... why? Because I didn't want to change my opinion? ... I don't know.

That show taught me a lesson. Now, when I get the feeling that a show is declining, and I'm just trying to make myself like it, I stop watching it.

[Edit]: Yah, I totally misunderstood the question. D'oh!
 
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erm if you are already the best of your class with acceptable effort, and you enjoy the time you have left , what's the problem?

it's the law of diminishing returns: if you're at 97% mastery of econometrics which leaves you time to enjoy other things that you are passionate about

accomplishing the last 3% would most likely come at a disproportionally high cost, if you are attempting to optimise you're happiness, this would likely be a suboptimal solution no?

exception: if you want to be the no1 worldwide in econometrics, and that maximises your happiness, then it would be logical to attempt the last 3%, but it doesn't sound like that is what you want
 
No the interest has to find me, rather than me find the interest. I did try to take an interest in one of my partner's interests, football, but it didn't work because I I'm just not interested/motivated - I might be able to pretend interest for a short while, but it's fake and then I can't keep the enthusiasm going and then it shows... no, it's best to be honest and say that you don't like something rather than try to force yourself into it.
 
Forced? I suppose if you consider something work-related.

Like legal liability and determining financial solvency. Subjects I would have likely had no interest in except that they became a critical part of my job as an insurance underwriter. A job I haven't done for the last 22 years. Where I used what I learned in finance to help support myself trading equities for some years later.

But yeah, they're still what I'd presently call "special interests". Just not "forced" as they were at one time in my life.
 
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I’ve tried to make myself interested in stuff like English (not obessobly so) but the heart what the heart wants (and that’s not English).
 
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Have you ever tried to force yourself to be interested in certain thing? I mean obsessively interested.

And before you ask: why would you do that? Well, sometimes it just might be beneficial. For example I study econometrics at the university and I'm naturally good at this stuff and with little effort I'm among the best students and I understand the topic really quite deeply but I know not much more than they teach us here. It would really be an advantange to be obsessive about it. It's the kind of thing that you don't have to do team work if you're really good at it etc., it would give me some kind of freedom.

But I always give myself just enough time to learn and the rest I spend on dogs, moomins and rocking! I know it just calls for some self discipline but I'm curious if it's possible to trick oneself to be interested and invested in something so much that mostly we can.
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Absolutely yes! That how most of us work and gain some sort of income. We force ourselves to learn something that will create income.
 
+++ said:
Have you ever tried to force yourself to be interested in certain thing? I mean obsessively interested.

And before you ask: why would you do that? Well, sometimes it just might be beneficial. For example I study econometrics at the university and I'm naturally good at this stuff and with little effort I'm among the best students and I understand the topic really quite deeply but I know not much more than they teach us here. It would really be an advantange to be obsessive about it. It's the kind of thing that you don't have to do team work if you're really good at it etc., it would give me some kind of freedom.

But I always give myself just enough time to learn and the rest I spend on dogs, moomins and rocking! I know it just calls for some self discipline but I'm curious if it's possible to trick oneself to be interested and invested in something so much that mostly we can.
Click to expand...
In a nutshell, yes. I tried to force myself into an interest in Radiologic Technology so I could be a CT Tech or Nuclear Medicine Tech. It didn't work. I was fortunate that for a number of years I could make a living in computers, as that has been a lifelong special interest. But now, I've simply aged out. The technologies are changing so fast, I can barely keep up with them.
 
I’ve decided my new interest will be pickling things. Knowing myself, I’ll probably have a fridge stuffed to the brim with pickled fruits and vegetables in a few days, and then I’ll never pickle anything ever again.
 
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I just can’t make myself interested in something I don’t usually like,a interest is something that finds me and it’s hard for me to pretend to like something when i honestly don’t,my husband is into Rc cars and I use to go to the race track with him but I just couldn’t find it enjoyable plus the nitro fueled engine noise would start to annoy me after awhile,but yeah I believe you cannot force what your special interest is.
 
I will have to “force myself” to study for a work/field related certification test. It’s a difficult and expensive test that I really am not looking forward to, but it will increase my hireabilty and higher wages overall. I been putting it off for months now!
 
I want to learn how to force myself into being "obsessively" interested in certain things.

I've never done it but I know it's possible for some of us at least because on Quora or Discus I read one man's story of how he tricked himself into developing a special interest in people to make up for his lack of social intuition. Now he understands social dynamics and can "read" people much better than any of his non-autistic friends.

To be able to direct what your special interests are could be the ability to make yourself not just good but great at whatever you decide to be. Any advice from someone who has initiated, enhanced, redirected, or restrained their special interests would be awesome.
 
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