Why are some little boys so obsessed with trains or dinosaurs- or World War II, or even blenders? Psychologists call these preschool preoccupations “extremely intense interests,” and studies have proven they much more common among boys than girls.
In this episode we talk about some of the more common “extremely intense interests” out there, like

* Thomas the Tank Engine.Why do so many boys go wild for the Isle of Sodor? Is it the wheels? Is it the characters with clear and never-changing facial expressions?
* Actually, all toys with wheels. Researchers found the same clear preference for wheeled toys among boy monkeys as they did with children.
* Dinosaurs. Is it the long names? The endless opportunities to “systemize”? Or is it mostly the people-eating potential?
* Superheroes: powers, villains, and perhaps a plausible opening to “super-punch” a sibling.
* Nerf guns and play weapons. Dr. Michael Thompson says “boys’ fantasy lives are no place for lessons on subjectivity and humanizing the other.” Whether or not you agree with that statement, you will probably agree that boys, when deprived of play weapons, can just as merrily duel with sippy cups or pillows or whatever might be handy.

And here’s links to research and other things discussed in this episode:
Dr. Judy De Loache et al: Planes, Trains, Automobiles—and Tea Sets: Extremely Intense Interests in Very Young Children
Kate Morgan for The Cut: A Psychological Explanation for Kids’ Love of Dinosaurs
Simon Baron-Cohen: The Essential Difference: The Male and Female Brain
Mark Oliver for Fatherly: The Science Behind Kids’ Obsession With Trains
Janice M. Hassett and others: Sex differences in rhesus monkey toy preferences parallel those of children
Elissa Strauss for CNN: Why Boys Love Guns, and What To Do About It
Erica Weisgram: Gender Typing of Children’s Toys: How Early Play Experiences Impact Development
Lisa Dinella and Erica Weisgram: Children’s Gender-Typed Toy Interests: Does Propulsion Matter?
Sarah Coyne and others: It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Gender Stereotype! Longitudinal Associations Between Superhero Viewing and Gender Stereotyped Play
“Extremely intense interests” tend to disappear once the kids who have them get to grade school, and have both new subject matter to master and peers with whom to assimilate.