I can't really tell whether this is me failing to appreciate some aspect of human experience, or just that the way people tend to do things is stupid.

I wonder the same about myself all the time. Sometimes I feel less..., uh, "human" (?) for it. At those times, I ask myself, "would you rather be doing X?" and the answer is invariably that I would not. I seem to be happier for not doing these things because when I give in and do them, I get bored or annoyed.