The only thing wrong about a “guilty” pleasure is feeling ashamed of something that genuinely brings you joy.
We aren’t talking about criminal or miscreant behavior here, but I ardently believe that you shouldn’t harbor guilt over hobbies, passions, and entertainment.
For a long time, I kept facets of my self strictly to myself, or shared just a sliver of my interests with only the group of people that I thought would enjoy it.
I would cringe if die-hard sports pals found out I loved reading science fiction and fantasy novels. Likewise, I’ve been out with hipster and poet pals that are derisive of the tribalism and violence of an NFL game, and I’ve feigned indifference to games when out with them.
Over the years, I worked hard to stamp that out, and for better or worse, the folks I engage with, personally and professionally, get a version of my whole self.
There’s certainly value in understanding your audience. I’m not going to argue the merits of football with friends who have no interest in the game, nor will I go into details about my D&D session with my colleagues at work.
But I’m not ashamed of these things and don’t shy away from the topic if they come up in general conversation.
A small selection of things I enjoy that I could ascribe as “guilty” pleasures:
reading genre fiction
watching and attending professional wrestling
tabletop games and dungeons and dragons
learning spreadsheet macros (for fun!)
reading comics
drawing
blogging
loving Boston sports
collecting bags
writing fiction and poetry
3d printing
knolling
Those are a dozen off the top of my head, with dozens more that orbit my daily existence.
In the past, these things have all been hobbies or curios that would require contextualization, or if they came up, I needed to ascribe clear value as to why I enjoy them. Now, I find value in all of the above, sometimes with practical applications, but often not.
But they’re essential. They indelibly help shape who I am as a person; fundamentally, I don’t think anything is wrong with that.
Love and enjoy the things that interest you. Don’t shame yourself just to get a headstart on somebody else from doing it.