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Ask HN: Psychological, emotional, physical, social side effects of coding?

2 points by aogaili ↗ HN
What do you think are the personal, mental, social, emotional and physical side effects of many hours of solitude coding? Both the good and the bad..

Consider for example going to the gym, although lifting weight is in itself a meaningless task yet the side effects are very desirable thus many are willing to visit the gym on daily basis. Can anything similar be said on hours of constant daily coding? Or does coding have mostly negative side effects (aside from money), does is hinder your social skills significantly? or does it have any desirable side effects? What is your personal experience and thoughts on this?

4 comments

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sigmaprimus
I bet there are certain people that are prone to maniacal obsession when presented with a coding problem. It is entirely plausible that if a child who's brain is still developing falls into a obsession/reward pattern, they could become hard wired to this and become more likely abuse substances later in life.

Of course the same could be said for any other behavior if overdone (Such as video gaming), but the fact that "coding" is such a brain centric task it may have a greater effect on a developing mind.

rwdim
I personally find coding to be a mental exercise that, at least for me, allows me to time travel. If I am engaged in the design of an algorithm, or set thereof, time passes very very quickly and my perception of it is non existent.

I have gone for 12 hours without even noticing any time passage, much to the chagrin of my wife and ride-home-needing-daughter.

Side effects? Since it’s meditation for me, it’s a relaxing retreat without any visible (at least to me) issues.. I guess I don’t see how long bouts of concentration can be damaging to the psyche.

I’ve also noticed that if I narrate my development (as if recording a tutorial) that a I am unable to achieve time travel. Been doing it for 40 years... yikes..

onecommentman
A friend referred to this in another context as a “mathematician’s high”. It’s not exactly “flow”, more focused than “musing”, closer to what appeals to puzzle enthusiasts. It fails the test for transcendence because it doesn’t make you a more compassionate person. Saves money on recreational drugs, though.
[dead] cybercraft1
Our software development company CyberCraft https://cybercraftinc.com consists of specialists that are radically different. It means that solitude coding affected their physical condition, mental health, and social activity in different ways.

First of all, sedentary work can have negative influence on their health. Therefore, we do not adhere to severe schedule - developers have enough time for sport or other ativity. Also, we try to conduct active teambuilding. Yoga, stretching, jogging help our employees to feel more healthy.