‘Hobby’ Is a Small Word for Big Benefits

Hobbies have tremendous effects on our quality of life and compel us to take some meaningful time for ourselves

The effects of a hobby on your mental health and well-being are far-reaching. G-Stock Studio/Shutterstock

In my spare time, I like to take pictures. Not just any pictures, but mostly outdoor scenes from nature and awe-inspiring landscapes. When I travel, I’m armed with a tripod, lenses, and a bag full of gear, and constantly scope out the most scenic settings to capture.

I am also somewhat of a bird nerd, although I’ve gotten a little rusty over the past few years. My binoculars are always handy, and I’m excited to add a new bird to my life list, especially when I’m traveling. I’m also perfectly content to spot the first kinglets to pass through my state in the spring or to note the day when the red-winged blackbirds return to the marsh.

These are my hobbies, even though I don’t particularly like the word hobby. It sounds like it’s describing something inconsequential that you do to fritter away your time. The origin of the word “hobby” comes from the term for a farm horse that your ride at your leisure; or hobbyhorse, which is a small wooden toy horse large enough only for children to ride. So not just inconsequential, the word hobby almost sounds childish.

I actually prefer avocation, which is similar to a hobby as something you do during your free time. It’s a word that’s used in contrast to having a vocation, which describes the work you’re called to do to make a living. The two words seem to be opposites at first—as in work or not work. However, they both suggest a calling, having a deeper meaning or even being a part of your identity, except one is your livelihood and the other is not. That said, avocation is a little too fancy when talking about leisure time, so I’ll stick with hobby.

Having a hobby is important. It’s actually good for your physical and mental health. Those hobbies that involve movement, such as keeping a garden, hiking, yoga, or a favorite sport are a great way to keep in shape. In fact, research has documented that a physically active hobby can lower your blood pressure, heart rate, waist circumference, and BMI (a measure of your body mass).

However, the effects of a hobby on your mental health and well-being are even more far-reaching. Here are a few things to know.

Having a hobby can reduce your stress. Researchers discovered that adults who engaged in art projects not only found it to be relaxing, but it also reduced their levels of cortisol, a hormone that climbs as a part of your body’s stress response.

Taking up a hobby challenges your brain. You get an engaging opportunity to learn something new. Not only does it increase brain activity, but it also boosts your confidence.

Engaging in a hobby relaxes you. Your hobby takes you away from the details or the stressors of your day. It helps you to focus and declutter your mind. And while not all hobbies demand the same level of engagement, concentrating on the leisure task at hand actually provides a certain level of mindfulness.

A hobby can broaden your outlook. Learning something new stretches your imagination and creativity. It allows you to safely take on new challenges, ask questions, and satisfy your curiosity.

A new activity can help you make friends. Hobbies are a great way to meet with like-minded people who have similar interests. It can help you work in a group toward a shared goal and alleviate loneliness, which can significantly reduce your risk of premature mortality.

A hobby can give you a sense of purpose. Learning a new skill, taking on a challenge, and setting goals—all in the service of something you really enjoy and care about—can add meaning to your life.

Having a hobby can boost your professional life. Many people have turned their hobbies into a job, and others have translated the skills and leadership they learned from their hobbies into creative problem-solving and management skills at work.

Your hobby compels you to take some time for yourself. When you’re trying to balance work, family, and other commitments, it can be difficult to carve out time just for you. However, even small amounts of time engaged in your hobby can take some of the pressure off of stressful times and busy days.

It’s never too late to take up a new hobby. A huge number of people take up a new hobby after they retire or in their later years.

You don’t have to be good at it. While there’s usually a learning curve, a hobby can still be enjoyable even if you’re really bad at it.

The bottom line is that while the word hobby feels small, it actually describes something that can make your world larger.

A hobby helps to relieve stress, improve your health, stretch your imagination, broaden your social connections, and improve the overall quality of your life.

So if you’re already engaged in or thinking about taking up bread baking, ballroom dancing, herb gardening, oil painting, or any other new hobby, good for you!