I had never really thought of “interest” as an emotion, but apparently it’s one of the very basic emotions. Different stages include noticing something, wondering about it, being curious, being fascinated, astonished, and being in ecstasy. I had always thought of ecstasy as meaning intense pleasure, but it apparently refers to that state when you pay so much attention to something that the rest of the whole world falls away.

I wonder to what extent this emotion plays into addictions. I’ve been known to become easily addicted to just about anything, from video games and FaceBook, to reading and knitting (good thing I’ve never tried any drugs and limit my alcohol). I tend to get hyper-focused on things I’m interested in, to the exclusion of everything else. It is, indeed, intensely pleasurable to me. I wonder if it’s the focus on your object of interest that is pleasurable, or the fact that everything else disappears? I wonder if I could trick myself into becoming addicted to cleaning the house? Which brings us to tomorrow’s topic (or today’s, since it’s past midnight): HOPE.