Why is it that other people's homework is so much fun to do?
I first read Faulkner's "The Unvanquished" because my roommate had a final on it and needed to know what happened. What a great book! I read it during finals (instead of studying for my own finals) and gave her the 5 minute condensed version and she passed the test, yay!
Amira's logic class her freshman year had a team contest called fantasy logic league that she and I worked on each week as a team. I would spend any amount of time to get the right answers. It was so much fun.
Lately my mom's been sick and when I go over there I do laundry, dishes, clean her bathroom, get groceries, fix her meals, etc. I hate doing my own housework but doing someone else's is fun.
I would like to ask hatrack several questions about this:
1) Is this true for everyone else too, or am I just weird this way?
2) Does anyone know why this is true? Is it just that something freely given is always more joyful than something that feels compelled? Or that anything that's ours is by definition dull and unimportant compared to something that's someone else's?
3) Is there some way we can use this fact to get As in school? Or keep our houses clean? Or to just make doing any chore more fun? Like work some tradeoff scheme or figure out how to cast all our work as being someone else's or something?
[ December 08, 2004, 12:58 PM: Message edited by: Tatiana ]
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
1. I think it's true for most people. But you could be weird too.
2. I think it's true because a.) it gets us out of our usual routine and b.) it feels good to help people.
3. If kids on the same class swapped papers and pledged to do the other's paper, it would result in A type students getting D's and D students getting A's, I think. It would be sorta fun to experiment with that... For keeping houses clean, I know of a bible study group of women who clean each other's houses all as a group in a round robin fashion. So they do one lady's house one month, then the next month do another lady's, etc. When I was growing up, I thought it was much easier to clean my brother's room than my own. And vice versa. That worked out pretty well, actually. Having no emotional attachment to things, I didn't get distracted or bogged down with "what do I do with this?".
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
quote:I hate doing my own housework but doing someone else's is fun.
Anne Kate, I have these dishes... Posted by Ryoko (Member # 4947) on :
"1) Is this true for everyone else too, or am I just weird this way?"
It is true for me also. You aren't weird. Or, at least you aren't any weirder than me.
"3) Is there some way we can use this fact to get As in school? Or keep our houses clean? Or to just make doing any chore more fun? Like work some tradeoff scheme or figure out how to cast all our work as being someone else's or something?"
I don't know, it is awfully hard to fake yourself out on this sort of thing.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Mac, I'd be delighted to do your dishes! Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I love doing other people's dishes. My husband does most of ours. Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Wooooo!
(I hate dishes. Hate dishes with a passion. The entire rest of my apartment can be kept clean except the damn dishes.)
Posted by kaioshin00 (Member # 3740) on :
Don't you have a dishwasher?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Nope.
Posted by kaioshin00 (Member # 3740) on :
you have to wash them ... by hand?!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Yes. Unless I pay a friend to do them (usually with dinner) or someone does it out of the goodness of their heart.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Woo, a home cooked meal in exchange for just doing a few dishes? That's a great deal! I would so go for that any day of the week! Cooking is what's hard!
Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
Handwashed dishes much better than machine washed. It lends them that personal touch...
Anne kate, answers to two of your questions: 1. You're weird 2. Because you're weird.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
quote: Why is it that other people's homework is so much fun to do?
After you're done with mac's dishes, wanna write my paper for me?
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
quote:Woo, a home cooked meal in exchange for just doing a few dishes? That's a great deal! I would so go for that any day of the week! Cooking is what's hard!
You could come and live at my appartment then, I'd be happy to cook for you every day, thoug your company would be more than worth it, you can forget the dishes.
Hobbes Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
Other people's homework is, indeed, fun. I think this is because a) you don't have to do it, you volunteer to do it, and b) most people don't volunteer to do something unless they already find it interesting.
Oh, and for the record - I don't like doing other people's dishes any more than I like doing my own. Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Yeah I find that doing other people's homework is not only more fun than doing my own, it's easier. I often help my friends with essays etc.
There should be a system for getting a cut of their marks .
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Cool, Hobbes! I'm on my way! Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Doing homework is an obligation - helping a friend with a problem is just fun.
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