“Eccentrics” by David Weeks

Full disclosure: If you buy the book through the link, it won’t cost you any more, but I’ll get a few pennies.

A recent email conversation reminded me about my much-loved book on eccentrics written by a proper psychologist who did proper research. One of the first questions he tried to answer was whether or not eccentrics are slightly mentally ill. The answer was a resounding “No!” By all the usual measures, eccentrics are both physically and mentally healthier and happier than the general population. He put this down to:

1. The stress reduction due to not giving a *COUGH* what other people think and
2. The innocent pleasure of actually doing what you enjoy, whether that’s living in a cave which floods at high tide, moving the the staircase of your house every few months, or keeping 6,000 garden gnomes and knitting them little woolly hats. 

 The case studies are hilarious, and make me and my family look positively tame. I really wish that the book was available in Spanish, so I could by copies for all the people who are e.g. mortally offended that I have “weeds” in my garden.

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.