I expected this to be about the strengthening of interpersonal bonds by accomplishing unfamiliar tasks together. I've built IKEA or similar furniture with quite a number of people, from my own family to friends, acquaintances, and potential mates. It was always a good time, even when a part went missing or we assembled something backward early on and had to redo half our work.<p>Many people have essentially lost touch with their manual abilities: from chopping vegetables (pre-chopped salad packs are virtually absurd) to changing flat tires (people think I'm weird when I tell them I can do it and they don't need to wait for a service to come). Even handwriting is all but lost in some places.<p>I don't know about the rest of you, but I find it soothing to work with my hands on small, simple objects which obey the rules of physics in a tangible way. Not Excel workbooks, not online shopping, not driving a car using cruise control with a camera that automatically keeps its distance from the car in front of you, freeing your feet to do, well, nothing.<p>Making things is therapy. It's no surprise that the things we make are imbued with positive emotions.