Editing Collecting (section)

==Psychological aspects==

{{See also|Psychology of collecting}}
Psychological factors can play a role in both the motivation for keeping a collection and the impact it has on the collector's life. These factors can be positive or negative.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mueller, Shirley M.|title=Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play|year=2019|isbn=978-0-9996522-7-5|location=Seattle|oclc=1083575943}}</ref>

The hobby of collecting often goes hand-in-hand with an interest in the objects collected and what they represent, for example collecting [[deltiology|postcards]] may reflect an interest in different places and cultures. For this reason, collecting can have educational benefits, and some collectors even become experts in their field.

Maintaining a collection can be a relaxing activity that counteracts the stress of life, while providing a purposeful pursuit which prevents boredom. The hobby can lead to social connections between people with similar interests and the development of new friendships. It has also been shown to be particularly common among academics.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}

Collecting for most people is a choice, but for some it can be a compulsion, sharing characteristics with [[Compulsive hoarding|obsessive hoarding]]. When collecting is passed between generations, it might sometimes be that children have inherited symptoms of [[obsessive–compulsive disorder]]. Collecting can sometimes reflect a fear of scarcity, or of discarding something and then later regretting it.

Carl Jung speculated that the widespread appeal of collecting is connected to the hunting and gathering that was once necessary for human survival.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schwager|first=David|date=2017-01-17|title=Why Do We Want This Stuff? Eight Views on the Psychology of Collecting|url=https://coinweek.com/education/want-stuff-eight-views-psychology-collecting/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=CoinWeek|language=en-US}}</ref> Collecting is also associated with memory by association and the need for the human brain to catalogue and organise information and give meaning to ones actions.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}