While it takes time，energy and money that could surely be put to a much more productive use，there are millions of collectors around the world.People collect postcards，chocolate wrappers or whatever they like.Collecting must be one of the most varied human activities，and it’s one that many psychologists find fascinating.Many forms of collecting have been dignified with a technical name：an arctophilist collects teddy bears，a philatelist collects postage stamps and a deltiologist collects postcards.

There are people who collect something because they want to make money，and this could be called an instrumental reason for collecting，that is，collecting as a means to an end.They will look for，say，antiques(古董) that they can buy cheaply and expect to be able to sell at a profit.But there may well be a psychological factor too：buying cheap and selling dear can keep the collector a sense of achievement.And as selling online is so easy，more people are joining in.

If you think about collecting postage stamps，another potential reason for it is its educational value.Stamp collecting opens a window to other countries and to the plants，animals or famous people shown on the stamps.Similarly，in the nineteenth century many collectors amassed(积累) animals and plants from around the globe and their collections provide a vast amount of information about the natural world.Without those collections，our understanding would be greatly inferior to what it is.

Not all collectors are interested in learning from their hobby，though，so what we might call a psychological reason for collecting is the need for a sense of control and a sense of fulfillment，perhaps as a way of dealing with insecurity.Stamp collectors，for instance，arrange their stamp albums，usually very neatly，organizing their collections according to certain commonplace principles—perhaps by country in alphabetic order or grouping stamps by what they describe—people，birds，maps and so on.

Mike took the last bite of the chocolate ice cream and jumped into the car with his parents. They headed off to the Olympic sized pool for the big swim meet.

When his race came up, Mike was confident. He was strong and swift and won first place, making him the fastest boy in his age group.

“Congratulations," said his father. His mother gave him a hug, even though he was wet.

A week later, it was time for another swim meet and Mike decided to eat the same ice cream. He thought that it was his luck ice cream and that it might help him win again.

He took first place again in his race. Mike was feeling pretty good. Since then, Mike has decided to have the same ice cream before every swim meet and has always won. Several months passed and Mike was feeling unbeatable. Although he wouldn't admit it, all the ice cream was adding pounds to his athletic swimmer's build.

It didn't take long before the luck ice cream had lost its magic. Mike started to slip to second place and then third place in his races. His scores kept worsening and Mike felt really bad. He knew what was wrong. But he couldn't admit it to himself and especially to his parents. He did not want to disappoint them.

One day, his mother sat down at the table with him and said, “Mike, we know you love ice cream，but maybe it's not healthy for your body to eat so much of it. Your father and 1 think it is making you gain weight. Is it OK for us to quit the sweet treats for a while, especially before you go for the final competition? In order to strengthen your muscles, your father will go running with you three days a week. We think it will help you feel better.”

Mike unwillingly agreed.

Finally the big competition of the season came.

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