how long do your special interests last?

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All my life, since I was a little kid, I had what I called "serial obsessions" (this was before I had ever heard of AS or knew it was a common trait). I can start at about age four and go right down the line to the present day with one interest after the other, no breaks in the chain, and very little overlap.

Mine tend to last three to four years. I mentioned this to my therapist (who deals with a lot of clients on the spectrum), and she said that's actually longer than average. I was mildly surprised, and began to wonder about the people on this forum. So...about how long do your special interests tend to last before you suddenly and inexplicably move on to the next thing? And do you ever look back at past obsessions, feel almost zero excitement about them, and wonder how on earth you possibly could have been so hung up on them so intensely for so long?

Just curious. Looking forward to seeing the answers.

ive been interested in the same things now as I allways have been

I'd say about 3-6 months, though they reoccur. Religion has been a interest since about 6, but luckily there are so many of 'em

Mine last for years, and they overlap.

A few months, at most, a year or two... Something very narrow, like Epilepsy wold last about 5 months (as it has), but something like Personality Disorders (current) could last a year.
But just as suddenly as I pick up an interest, It gets put down one day, for no reason, and I am stuck with papers and books on the topic...
My Joy Division obsession lasted 2 years and now my hard drive is cluttered with rare photos of Ian Curtis, never again to be looked at...

Years with overlap. Some have never stopped.

My special interests and obsessions with such last from 18 months to 3 or so years. I have learned to live my life in 3 year plans around them, because I am actually helpless to change how the spirit will take me on some adventure or another.

I have been like that since I was a little girl. Weird, eh? I know, I don't really have any long lasting relationships, because I will take off and remember them years later and wonder 'what ever happened to good ol' Yyy?' Well, good ol' YYY got married and had three kids and two careers and remembers you vaguely from that few years they knew you back then; when in my own mind it like it was just last week, instead of decades ago.
It's like time had passed for them, but not for me.

Lengths of time my special interests have lasted are all over the place... It's been different for everything, really. Plus, i might have a main one that goes on for a long time with some minor ones coming and going here and there for shorter lengths of time during the duration of the main one. So, it's hard to say..

The longest an interest has lasted for me so far was about 3 years. I might set a new record... we'll see.

The shortest was, actually, one week (during March break): I became obsessed with this one website and would always think about it and go on it during any spare moment.

I'd say that 3 years is the average for me.

Let's see, I'm 46, so about 41 years on one and 32 years on the other.

And yes, one of those is trains

Always been into toys since I was 3.

Been into history since high school.

Been into economics for almost 10 years now; I see none of those changing at any time.

Life

Mine tend to last a few years; they resurge sometimes. My longest-lasting special interest is no doubt Waluigi which has lasted on and off since 2000. My current intense one is Lazytown, that has lasted since October of last year.

I tend to obsess over fiction the longest- harry Potter, Pokemon etc.

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It depends on the obsession. Sometimes I'll be obsessed with something - usually a particular website - for only a few days. Sometimes an obsession will last a few months, like my obsession with dogs earlier this year. I have some obsessions that go in cycles - I'll be obsessed with Sims 3 for a couple of weeks, for example, and then the obsession will fade, and a couple of months later it'll come back again. My obsession with the Animorphs books (about ten years ago) lasted a couple of years. I've had my obsession with totalitarian governments for many years (I'm not sure exactly how long, but I think I've had it most of my life), but it's gotten stronger over the past couple of years.

All over the map. Some have lasted decades. Most last 3-10 years. Some very intense, all-consuming research projects last until I answer a single question--perhaps as little as a week or two. Some of the 3-10 year interests have resurfaced after decades. These can be particularly interesting when the technology or knowledge of these things has significantly advanced from the time I first studied them-- a brand new world, yet still with a comfortable familiarity.

Well, my main two special interests have been going on for at least the past 22 years, or so, though they do vary in intensity from time to time, and have slightly refocused a few times, usually when there becomes a social factor involved that is becoming overwhelming. Other interests I've had last a couple months to a few years.