Is Obsessing Over Something Bad for Your Health?
by Sarah Jio, Glamour
Maybe you have a thing for a certain actor or actress. Maybe it's a author whose books really resonate with you. Maybe it's a movie trilogy (hello Twihards). The question: Is all this fandom good for us?
Vulture recently took a look at the subject of fandom and found that most experts believe it can be, well, bad for us. Dr. Drew Ramsey, a Columbia professor of psychiatry and co-author of The Happiness Diet, says he's seen marriages break up over intense fandom (think of the NFL-loving guy who demands hours of TV time each week and travels to every home game despite family commitments).
See more:11 Fall Hair and Makeup Looks You'll Love
"I believe in leisure," he says, "but we've sort of swapped out something that is supposed to be pleasurable and leisurely and replaced it with an intense involvement."
I think this is so timely, as fandom, at least from my perspective, has gotten pretty intense in the last 10 years, thanks to Twitter, Facebook, and all the other ways we can follow the things/persons/activities we love. And I think that's the key, here is this: If you have to know Kristen Stewart's every move and every new detail in her on-again-off-again romance with Rob, yep, something's a little off.
See more:35 New Ways to Wear Your Jeans
The experts say that while appreciating something and enjoying it is one thing, a better use of our time (one that contributes to health and happiness) is spending it learning, being creative and doing things that improve our own lives (think: cooking classes, artistic endeavors, and sports you actually participate in). In other words, all the energy and "intense" feelings we have about our favorite FILL IN THE BLANK should instead be transferred back to our own lives.
Thoughts on this? Are you a fan of something? Have you ever gone a little fan-girl about a certain celeb, sport, movie, etc.? I'd love to hear!
More from Glamour:
10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own
The Dos and Don'ts of Fall 2012 Fashion Trends
27 Hairstyles to Try This Month
10 Hot Date-Night Outfits (According to Guys)
