Arithmomania
filed in Blogging/Web, Nonsensical Ramblings on Apr.13, 2006
Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary defines ARITHMOMANIA as “a morbid compulsion to count objects”.
Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary defines ARITHMOMANIA as “b. compulsive counting”.
I have arithmomania and I have had it for as long as I can remember. I’m still unsure if it is a blessing or a curse. Has it gotten better or worse over time? Not sure, but it has gotten more severe as I’ve gotten older. But…has it gotten more severe, or have I just gotten better at it?
It wasn’t until only a year ago that I discussed this with my wife. I always thought it was just the way my brain worked. Surely, nobody else would really be able to comprehend what my brain does on it’s free time.
My particular arithmo-flava centers in on geometric objects (better if they have corners) found in everyday life. Cabinets. Street Signs. Painted lines on highway. Bathroom tiles.
You get the idea.
I don’t actually count the number of objects. I count the angles, sides, corners of each object. Not the sum. Here’s a highly simplified example of what my brain does: Picture a white painted line on the highway. It is flat, so it has no dimension to it. There are four sides and four corners. Each side has two terminals (where the line ends at the corner). I tend to count those terminals on each corner. So in this example, each corner would have a value of “2″. So I would go around the painted line, counting 2, 4, 6, 8. Not too difficult, eh? Now, picture doing that to EVERY SINGLE PAINTED LINE on the highway while travelling at 65 mph. Now imagine applying that habit to a 3-dimensional object. How many line terminals can you count? Now, put yourself into a room that has tiles of all different shapes, sizes and thicknesses.
Now you might be starting to grasp the very edge of what I deal with constantly. It wasn’t until last year when I first stumbled upon this word and definition, and then yesterday – when I got an e-mail from a friend stating that he suffers from arithmomania as well – that I fully realized that I am not alone in my plight. I’m quite sure that the degrees of severity are all across the board. I like to think that my particular case is more severe than most, but it may not be.
How about you? Are shaking your head going “this guy is completely nuts!” or can you relate in your own life?
April 13th, 2006 on 12:34 pm
I have ADD. I can’t count past 10 without getting distracted. I’m not sure what’s worse…
Happy 2nd Anniversary to the Blaqenedwyte Blog! Keep up the great work Kenny!
April 13th, 2006 on 2:08 pm
I don’t know about “morbid”. This probably helps you with the geometry of graphic design. Plus, it adds to my case that your “bad at math” mantra is wrong. Count away…as long as you keep your eyes on the traffic too.
April 13th, 2006 on 7:46 pm
My dad has the exact same thing. He didn’t tell me about it until a few years ago when I started getting into the habit. He’s kept it to himself all these years.
April 14th, 2006 on 8:09 am
It seems like you have your “mania” under control. Is this something you do when your mind is idle, or does it distract you during meetings and while working?
April 14th, 2006 on 8:53 am
Comment Replies:
Scott: I think ADD is worse, but I’m thinking that arithmomania is certainly on the fast track to becoming an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Kate: I think it has become a good exercise for my brain that probably does spill over into my design.
Joel: Thanks for the comment. How severe is you and your dad’s arithmomania?
DigiGirl: I don’t think my brain is ever idle. It’s only the rare occasion that I can catch up with it enough to comprehend something. It is a distraction occasionally.
April 14th, 2006 on 10:31 am
Your brain sounds just like mine, except I don’t count things. But I am obsessively observant. I’m assuming that you and I are alike in that, when we sit in meetings it’s really hard to concentrate on the topic at hand because i’m too busy thinking of something else. In your case that something else might be counting things. In my case i’m looking at the details of people’s faces, what they’re wearing, the sound of their voice, the lint on their shirt, the how the wallpaper interacts with the floor patterns, how one chair is different from all others, etc. If it’s in the room, it’s a distraction. A pure white, empty room would distract me just as much as a casino!
April 17th, 2006 on 9:00 am
I experience a physical sensation of dis-ease when someone writes a bunch of words on a white board or chalk board, and then only erases a big circle in the middle, leaving little word fragments scattered all over the board. I haven’t yet jumped up and started to erase a board in class, but boy do I want to!
April 18th, 2006 on 11:31 am
I only wish that I had known during our trip upstate that you were counting the painted lines on the highway while I was estimating the midpoint between telephone poles and trying to calculate our speed using the time between mile markers. Quirkiness loves company…
June 15th, 2006 on 8:55 pm
Had never heard the term about counting, but for years I count the sum of numbers on license plates in front of me, or the number of letters on billboards or the sum of numbers on the hymn boards at church, etc. It doesn’t distract me from keeping my mind on what I should.
June 24th, 2006 on 6:42 am
Hello I’m from the Netherlands , so sorry for my bad English.
But i’ve also got arithmomania. I just found the right word for it on wikipedia and could easily see that i’ve really got it. I always count the sides of a square. It always has to be 5. So i always make one side extra to a square so it has 5 sides. So imagine when i see everywhere squares, i always want to make 5 sides to every square. i also have an obsession to NOT count things in numbers of six. So if something is six i surely want to make it seven or higher. I can make a lot more examples, but i think you understand that you’re not alone with “arithmomania”
October 3rd, 2006 on 11:55 pm
I have been getting worse with my counting everything as I get older. It HAS to be counted and by 2′s (2,4,6,8,etc.) and I can’t seem to quit till I get near 100. It is extremely distracting to me and very disturbing to my sense of reality. I think I am becoming insane. Sorry to hear about all your problems that are similar to mine. I can’t walk into a bathroom without counting corners by 2′s and then counting the tiles (can’t leave room till I count em all) but it is always by 2′s!! I can’t remember the total sum of the tiles even though I have counted them numerous times before so I count them again!!!!! Sometimes I don’t even realize that I am counting till someone says something. I am only 31 now and can only imagine how I will be in 10 or 20 years.
August 22nd, 2007 on 4:26 pm
I’m a 21 year old female from GA.I just found out the other day that I have arithmomania. I have had it for as long as I can remember. I do the exact same thing. I count the lines on the road, the tiles on my floor, the movies on my shelf. Really and truly, I think it will drive me insane. I can’t stop counting. I will try to force myself to stop, but I can’t. My mind just drifts back to the counting. I don’t know what to do, where to turn. It really bothers me. Will I do this for the rest of my life??? It just makes me feel better to see that I am not alone. That there are others who battle this same problem. If anyone can help me or any advice whatsoever… please contact me at (Leann.Stover@yahoo.com)Thanks!!!
-Leann from Georgia
October 2nd, 2007 on 12:37 am
hey there!! me too have the same habit…i tend to count all the corners or side og an object like doors, windowa etc…. wweeehhww!! its good am not the only one doing it hehe
October 12th, 2007 on 1:29 pm
I have been counting for as long as I can remember and I’m 57. Sometimes it has been a distraction as in school or conversations, but not debilitating. I’ve never known anyone else that has done this same thing (I count things until they add up to an even number). Thanks for sharing.
January 2nd, 2008 on 6:28 pm
I am 59 years old and have counted for as long as I can remember. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older and sometimes it drives me nuts. I will count steps, lines,and shapes as well as I mentally draw the outlines of shapes. jacket and shirt collars drive me crazy, I will draw the outline of them over and over. Wish I could make it stop!
February 8th, 2008 on 9:22 pm
I thought I was crazy and the only one who has this going on in hes life. I count things every waking minute. I tend to focus on corners. When I see a box I really see four and count it. (4 corners) What really drives me nuts is watching TV. I first count how many people and animals are in my house then add how many are on the screen. The number always changes because there is always different numbers of people on the TV. Therefor continuous counting. I like even numbers better than odd and if I use my fingers for fun I always have to end on my pinkie. If I don’t I just start all over again. CRAZY. I can’t stop and just live with it. Oh well
August 17th, 2008 on 4:28 pm
Hey there,
I’m Laura from Switzerland, and I have the same problem. I’m counting the numbers of letters in sentences, though, and pair them in groups of 3 or 4. For example when I read or even when I’m only thinking. But it’s not very distracting, I think my brain’s just bored. I didn’t know until recently that other people have similar (little) obsessions
June 9th, 2009 on 11:54 am
I do the same thing! I’ve always thought I was crazy for doing it, i also count stairs as I take them, I like to count them by odd numbers, 1,3,5,7,9,11… it’s always special when a set of stairs has exactly 11 for some reason. On long road trips i constantly count the white/black/yellow lines on the road, you know from right to left its black, white, black, dotted white, black, yellow, black, yellow, black, dotted white, black, white, black. eventhough it always adds up to 13 (for a 4lane road) I keep counting it over and over again.
March 17th, 2010 on 10:04 pm
My obsession is with 3 and digital clocks.. I will add/subtract/multiply the numbers on the digital clock till I get them down to 3…If I end up with a number like 27 for example, well 2+7=9/3=3. And if I have a combo of numbers I cant get down to 3 then I’ll count the dashes it takes to make up the digital numbers until I get down to 3. if all else fails theres always the : (counts for 2) and the dot for PM/AM. I will have my 3! Muahahaha.
and I have to do all this in 60 seconds before the time changes because thats a whole new set of numbers. This has gone on for hours till I fall asleep. I have to have digital clocks because ticking clocks drive me mad. and you cant just turn the clock around and go to sleep.. Who we kidding? we know those numbers are there waiting to be manipulated. Odd thing, I hate math and failed it religiously in school. Hope this helps ease someones mind and keeps them from thinking they are the freak.. because really.. we ALL are
March 22nd, 2010 on 12:42 pm
OMG!!! I knew I wasn’t alone in this!! I can clearly tell you at any given time how many tiles are in my house (with a break down of every room), how many slats are in each set of blinds, how many buttons are on my couch, etc. My husband and I were at the hardware store, looking at new handles for our kitchen cupboards and he was trying to figure out how many we needed….. that’s just silly, he had to have known I already knew that answer (30!!!) This does not disturb my daily life, but I find it hard at times to rationalize why certain things are grouped the way they are. (13 bathroom tiles?? seriously?? how unnerving is that!) If i can count something that adds up to a peaceful number in my head, i’m done with it…..time to move on to the next geometrical puzzle. In retrospect, it could be something worse. I never do it aloud and it never stops me in my tracks….I just hope that I am actually hiding it well enough at times and people aren’t watching my eyes roll around sporadically, looking like i’m having a seizure!