Hobbies and Their Countless Benefits
Having its roots in English, the word “hobi” in Turkish is defined by the Turkish Language Association’s Dictionary as “a relaxing, amusing activity or fondness done for pleasure outside of duties or profession”. But what kind of effects does having a hobby have on one’s psychology?
Unlike a profession, the fact that there is no intention of earning a livelihood through this activity, is probably a significant determinant of what is considered a hobby. Almost nobody earns a livelihood off the hobbies they are engaged in. Based on this fact, it is not quite hard to make a comment like this: Having hobbies is valuable for the individual as an outcome of him doing something for himself.
What’s meant by the concept of hobby generally includes leisure activities, and positive activities that are psychologically defined with specific sets of behaviors. As it can be easily comprehended, when a person is engaged in his hobbies, he is drawn to a favorite activity while drifting away from specific activities he is not pleased with. In these times where we are witnessing the ever-increasing digitalization, it seems that there will be a rise in the need for various and entertaining activities that could be done individually or collectively.
Being engaged in hobbies offers a great opportunity to go beyond the ordinary. It supports one to get out of the monotony and exhausting effects of everyday life. Taking up a hobby may enable you to gain an important skill, knowledge, or experience; nevertheless, the main function of hobbies is largely personal satisfaction. There are a multitude of studies showing the positive effects of hobbies on people’s psychology, as well as on their heart and brain health.
In a certain study, positive psychological developments were observed to have been achieved particularly by those who took part in leisure activities during their adolescence. Through a little research, it’s not really difficult to see how beneficial hobbies can be, as a certain study mentions that having hobbies has positive effects on coronary arteries, while another study mentions that those who are engaged in their hobbies for at least an hour a day would develop dementia at a much later stage, in addition to another study mentioning that hobbies have a protective effect on people with breast cancer.
In addition to all those positive aspects, hobbies help one configure time and take more pleasure in the course of life, establish and develop social relations, be more interesting, strengthen the self-concept, and cope with stress.
Finally, you may also take a look at our article titled The Correlation Between Hobbies and Depression: A Social Prescription.
REFERENCES:
– Tomioka, K., Kurumatani, N., & Hosoi, H. (2016). Relationship of having hobbies and a purpose in life with mortality, activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living among community-dwelling elderly adults. Journal of epidemiology, 26(7), 361-370.
– Tominaga, K., Andow, J., Koyama, Y., Numao, S., Kurokawa, E., Ojima, M., & Nagai, M. (1998). Family environment, hobbies and habits as psychosocial predictors of survival for surgically treated patients with breast cancer. Japanese journal of clinical oncology, 28(1), 36-41.
– Hughes, T. F., Chang, C. C. H., Vander Bilt, J., & Ganguli, M. (2010). Engagement in reading and hobbies and risk of incident dementia: the MoVIES project. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias®, 25(5), 432-438.
