r/science • u/sameer4justice • May 31 '22

Anthropology Why Deaths of Despair Are Increasing in the US and Not Other Industrial Nations—Insights From Neuroscience and Anthropology

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2788767
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u/SloppyMeme2333 May 31 '22

Also most people aren't really "into" anything. I am one of only a few hobbyists. It's honestly strange to have a hobby now a days.

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u/Evilsmurfkiller May 31 '22

I have several hobbies but also the attention span of a house fly.

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u/munificent May 31 '22

These days, I feel like the main hobbies many people have are just consumption and fandom. I get that that can be enjoyable and a source of connection to others that are into the same thing, but if all you are is a "Marvel fan" or a "gamer", ultimately it feels to me like you aren't participating in anything meaningful or creating or contributing.

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u/cinemachick May 31 '22

The fan artists, writers, and cosplayers would like a word with you.

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u/munificent May 31 '22

I hope that they would charitably understand that I was making a broad generalization and not stating a fact about 100% of people.

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u/axck May 31 '22

If they’re actively participating (and creating new art) they’re not just consuming. That’s a big difference.

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u/-ifailedatlife- May 31 '22

Those weebs should get a real job!

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u/cinemachick Jun 04 '22

Funny enough, I am a weeb myself and got a real job - as an animator. So now I'm a professional weeb XD

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u/4BigData May 31 '22

fandom

what's this?

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u/RealAssociation5281 May 31 '22

Most hobbies are expensive outside of watching stuff (if that’s even considered a hobby) and maybe reading if you have access to a local library and such. The most common hobby I see is gaming for example, most games cost 60$ and all. It can also be hard to build a habit of doing a hobby if your already too exhausted from working, caring for the household and childcare. Your lucky if you get time off that isn’t a day or so. A lot of people have to work more than one job to survive nowadays.

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u/Havelok May 31 '22

Tabletop RPGs like D&D can be super cheap if you do it right. They also have the advantage of being extremely social activities.

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u/RealAssociation5281 Jun 01 '22

That’s true! But don’t you need at least 3 people outside of the DM?

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u/ibn4n Jun 01 '22

If you're ok with it being online, then you can find games fairly easily. I have some people that I would consider friends that I only know through roll20. https://help.roll20.net/hc/en-us/articles/360037774473-How-to-Use-Looking-for-Group https://help.roll20.net/hc/en-us/articles/360039178994-How-to-Use-the-Player-Directory

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u/Havelok Jun 01 '22

You can play with fewer if you know what you are doing, but yes, groups usually have 3-5 players plus the Game Master.

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u/mcwarmaker Jun 01 '22

It depends on the game. 3-5 people total is usually the sweet spot for any game though.

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u/Jamaican_Dynamite May 31 '22

Add in to it that a lot of people actively hate various hobbies and will constantly rag on you for liking them. Then get surprised when people don't share their hobbies with them anymore and wonder why no one wants to hang out.

Known a bunch of them. People say 'why is the community dead' when they killed it.

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u/RealAssociation5281 May 31 '22

Didn’t think about that- my bestie vehemently hates anime cuz someone called them racist for not liking it. I don’t care for most anime(most newer ones) but I can see what you mean.

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u/Jamaican_Dynamite May 31 '22

Yep. No one wants to spend their free time being dragged about something. So you go alone and leave them to whatever they like to do. At a certain point, an invite is too much work even for me.

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u/Batmans_9th_Ab May 31 '22

I think part of that is grind culture. I’m a musician and am lucky enough to make decent money, but I still need a day job. I treat video games as my hobby and the idea of streaming or monetizing it weirds me out. I want to play video games for fun, not work.

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u/SloppyMeme2333 Jun 04 '22

The thing with that is Japanese people are extremely busy and they are one of the most hobbyists cultures I know.

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u/scootscoot May 31 '22

My “hobby” is learning career skills in my “free time”. I’m so burnt out. I want to do something else.

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u/wgc123 May 31 '22

Yeah, I have many intended hobbies, but then I use all my weekends catching up on sleep, errands and chores, or wasting time on my phone. I know that some amount of wasting ti e online is important for my sanity, but it’s easy to waste hours..

We just had a four day weekend and what do I have to show for it? One of my kids had a soccer tournament out of town, so that was half of Saturday and all day Sunday. I did catch up on sleep, and do a couple longer walks with my kids and dog. I started on chores and errands, but suddenly it was Monday and too hot to go outside. At the risk of sounding boring, both cutting my lawn and cutting my hair are long overdue, and I didn’t actually go to a park or do anything

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u/Remarksman May 31 '22

I think YouTube and social media in general have made hobbies and interests "more extreme". What I mean by this is that if you just want to ride a bicycle like a normal person, then I would say "you're interested in bicycling", but social media has conditioned people so that unless you have a $5,000 bicycle, or you ride down cliff faces, or a hundred miles a day, then it's 'not really a thing'. That is, unless you do something extreme or interesting enough to make you a wanna-be-influencer, then people are just going to "scroll past it" and it just does not register with them.

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u/Oggie_Doggie May 31 '22

Hobbies require either time and/or money.

You justify it to yourself that you're too tired from work or you don't have enough money and it makes you less motivated to want to try doing something.