ABSTRACT
Family history is an engaging hobby; its proponents find excitement in breaking down ‘brick walls’ to discover the identity of an ancestor, as well as learning more about the lives and times of those from whom they are descended. It is a hobby that involves cognitive challenges, such as learning about the reliability and validity of various forms of evidence, implementing both inductive and deductive reasoning, searching for a range of evidential sources and becoming adept with various online databases and software packages. For some, the detective work of the research process becomes an end in itself, with genealogists often reporting elation and other strong emotions as they discover a new link or a lost relative. Some report they are addicted to ‘the thrill of the chase’! This chapter draws heavily from our own study of Australian family historians to describe and illustrate the cognitive challenges and emotional intensity reported by those who enjoy this kind of research. The links between cognitive challenge and happiness are also explored.
