10 minute read
The benefits of embracing the nerd
EMBRACING THE NE RD
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written by Annabel Chia and Gabrielle Shore designed by Andrew Shu
THE NERD
The nerd. Is it the girl with the thick glasses who spent her Friday night studying? Or perhaps it’s the boy whose nose only leaves his book upon bumping into a locker, the one who sits alone at lunch because he’s too preoccupied to socialize. The nerd is a timeless high school stereotype, one that follows students through the halls; for some, being categorized as this bookish outcast is a nightmare. It’s a label to be avoided at all costs.
IS IT YOU?
But when one mentally removes the rigid box that is the nerd stereotype, two fundamental truths come to light.
First, most people have something they can “nerd out” about, even if it is not one of the preoccupations of the stereotypical nerd. By this definition, almost everyone is a nerd, whether they accept the label or not. Second, being a nerd is not bad; in fact, it has considerable benefits.
Embracing one’s “nerdy” interests opens the door to connecting with a community of people who share these interests, attaining psychological benefits, and forging a fulfilling career out of one’s true passion.
FINDING COMMMUNITY
Popular culture depicts the stereotypical nerd is as unsocial. This perception is consistent with the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of “nerd,” which notes that a nerd “lacks social skills.”
Whether it stems from this lack of social skills, being so hyper-fixated on a single topic that they don’t have the time for social interaction, or simply a distaste for camaraderie, this stereotypical characteristic contributes to the false perception that being a nerd guarantees isolation. However, many who embrace their “nerdy” interests suggest the contrary.
Take Tomoki Urata, for instance: a high school junior interested in video games, Urata is the president of the Super Smash Bros. Club at Carlmont. Devoting one’s time to video games might be perceived as stereotypically nerdy, but Urata defies the perception that nerds are unsocial by turning this interest into an opportunity to make friends.
“I definitely see video games as a good opportunity to bond with people. It makes it easier to socialize because it gives you an opening; you can just be like: ‘Do you want to play Smash?’ and then if they say yes, then it becomes easier to talk to them,” Urata said. “Outside of that community, you don't really bring it up in conversation.”
Urata’s description of this scenario in which someone uses a common interest as an ice-breaker plays out in social interactions every day, but he added that there is often an aura of stigma surrounding a conversation when it concerns a stereotypically nerdy topic.
This stigma stems from the nerd stereotype perpetuated by the media through movies, television shows, books, and advertisements, which indicate that nerds are unsocial and should be looked down upon. The media cultivates a fear of being slapped with the label or merely associated with the concept.
However, once it is accepted that everyone has something that they “nerd out” about, many light bulbs of curiosity flicker on, and doors to new connections open.
Georgie Rauls, a Carlmont senior and the president of the robotics club, found these opportunities by embracing her stereotypically nerdy interest.
“I think tapping into your nerdy side is good because you get to really dive deep into what you're interested in. Part of nerd culture is community, and when you're surrounded by people with similar interests, then you actually get to learn a lot more about your subject,” Rauls said.
Rauls found that the community she forged by embracing her nerdy side helped her reach a new level of understanding of robotics, one that she could not have obtained without rising above the stereotype and making meaningful connections. Most often, these connections were with people Rauls wouldn’t otherwise see herself becoming friends with.
“The regular group of people I hang out with isn’t very techy or stereotypically nerdy, so being in robotics gave me a place where there were people with shared interests who I wouldn't usually talk to,” Rauls said.
In forming these unlikely connections, Rauls found that the stereotypical nerd community is diversifying and dismantling the stereotype.
“In pop culture, nerds are usually very socially awkward guys with acne that don't get out of the rooms, but in modern society, the image of a nerd is diversifying with more women in STEM, more minorities in STEM, and hopefully the idea of a nerd when it comes to mind is becoming more diverse in general,” Rauls said.
Urata and Rauls agree that nerd culture, while timeless in its stereotype, is evolving in its implications. As the label zooms out to apply to more diverse backgrounds and interests, as described by Rauls, finding community by embracing one’s “nerdy interests” becomes an easier way to meet people.
There are also benefits of embracing one “inner nerd” that extends beyond physical connections. According to Aaron Fisher, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, immersing oneself in a passion is important for mental health by sending positive signals to the brain, and overall improving one’s mood.
“A benefit of engaging with passions is meaning-making. You're not punching the clock and just putting money in the bank for paying your bills. Instead, if you're true to that passion, it can help you feel like your life has meaning,” Fisher said.
This theory is connected to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in which individuals can progress up a pyramid of basic human needs to achieve the optimal level of life: self-actualization.
According to Saul McLeod’s article published in Simple Psychology, moving up the pyramid requires a person to fulfill the preceding level, starting with physical needs, security, love and belonging, esteem, and finally, self-actualization.
Many people will actually reach the level of esteem with tangible accomplishments, as Fisher observed with Berkeley students, but they will stay stagnant at that level.
According to Bryan E. Robinson
KEEPING MENTAL HEALTH ON TRACK in an article published in Psychology some relaxation, some self-indulgence, Today, today’s society of hustle and psychologically, that's incredibly culture, in which work is glorified protective.” and thus produces a toxic mindset of This same theory can be applied to productivity, has discouraged many high school students who may abandon people from continuing up the pyramid interests for the sake of grades or college and tapping into their nerdy side to admissions. reach self-actualization. “It’s detrimental to abandon your Hustle culture encourages people passion or hobbies and interests to get to constantly grind to reach their into Berkeley or Stanford, or after to professional goals, with no room for get that great job and earn that money breaks or hobbies, because the full and get that promotion,” Fisher said. dedication of time seems vital in the “Holding onto passions and keeping a never-ending chase of a higher salary. place for them in your life can be very According to Fisher, people might feel rewarding.” accomplished if they achieve a certain In addition to ascending the hierarchy level of prestige in their workplace, or of needs, another psychological benefit if they make a six-figure salary, but self- that comes hand in hand with the actualization can’t be achieved without pursuit of passions is gaining positive a passion; unless one’s work is their true neural feedback. passion, the neglection of “nerding out” “Findings actually support that about anything will eventually damage our brain offers rewards when we’re one’s mental health and lead to burnout. learning something new or pursuing “Just like when you start a fire off something we’re interested in,” said small, but it eventually grows, negative Chujun Lin, a postdoctorate at the emotions kind of work like that as University of California, Berkeley. well; fear, sadness, anger– these things According to Lin, consistent positive can kindle into something bigger like neural feedback occurs if there’s a clinical depression,” Fisher said. “I have constant engagement with a passion, a lot of responsibility in my life, but I try which contributes to an overall more to carve out that space where I can have satisfactory lifestyle.
"Holding onto passions and keeping a place for them in your life can be very rewarding." - Aaron Fisher
ALL ABOARD THE NERD TRAIN
Employees of Northlandz, a model railroad museum in New Jersey, emulate the benefits of staying true to one’s passions. Northlandz was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest model railroad in the world, and only a pack of truly passionate individuals could create that achievement.
The museum is run today by people who genuinely are interested in model trains. The manager, Patrick Benz, decided in his 50s that instead of keeping his passion for model trains as a side hobby, he’d make it into his fulltime job.
“I had many different careers over the years; I worked for a pet company, then a retail bank company, and was having a hard time in my position for a number of reasons. My manager made the comment that you should follow your passion,” Benz said. “Well, my passion has always been model trains.”
Benz has no regrets and finds immense satisfaction in his life compared to when he chased more conventional careers.
“I'm happier doing this, I find that I'm able to use almost fifty years of experience in the hobby, and I enjoy going to work every day,” Benz said. “I get that a lot of people get caught up on ‘Oh, I have to make a living,’ but they end up realizing ‘I don't enjoy doing this.’”
Although Northlandz displays the instance in which someone focuses solely on their passions as a career, it’s a privileged path since many need to work and their passions don’t provide them with that option.
However, Fisher uses his personal experiences to emphasize that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It’s still a positive habit to have a balanced lifestyle between work and hobbies, just as he balances his side hobby and profession.
“I majored in music in college. I gave it a little bit of a shot to try to be a professional musician but was very poor doing that, so I went back to school. But I still play guitar every day,” Fisher said. “Even when I've got four kids, many students, and a lot of responsibility in my life, I will try to carve out that space because that's a place where I can have some relaxation and self-indulgence.”
Either path works, and it’s all about a person’s individual lifestyle. No matter what their lifestyle is, though, it’s a great idea to keep the nerdy side of themselves close.
By experiencing the quirks of nerd culture, communities can be built, people can achieve a sense of purpose, and satisfaction can be brought into one’s lifestyle.
“Don't be afraid to experience nerd culture. Don't be afraid to experience in general,” Benz said. “Especially model trains.”
