Having hobbies is more than just engaging in activities you love. It can also be good for your health — especially as you age.
Any activity you do for pleasure during your leisure time can be considered a hobby, and the possibilities are endless. Whether you enjoy hobbies that spark your imagination or creativity, get you moving or help you relax, there’s a hobby for everyone. And the more hobbies you have, the greater the health benefit can be.
Health benefits of hobbies
Researchers have identified more than 600 ways that leisure activities might affect human health. However, health responses vary by person, hobby and whether the activity is completed individually or in a group. Some benefits are immediate, and others may be seen over time. More research is needed to understand the full power of hobbies, but most experts agree that most hobbies can be good for your health.
Well-studied benefits of engaging in a hobby include:
1. Boosts mental well-being
Research shows that people age 65 and older who have hobbies report higher levels of health, happiness and life satisfaction than those who don’t — and the findings are universal, spanning more than 90,000 participants across 16 countries. Older adults who engage in a hobby experience fewer depression symptoms. If that hobby happens as part of a group or team, you’re also getting the benefits of socialization and are less likely to feel anxious or stressed.
Some hobbies seem to offer greater benefits for mental health than others. A 2023 poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association found that 71% of the participants reporting “very good” or “excellent” mental health engage in creative activities more frequently than those reporting “good,” “fair” or “poor” mental health. If that creative hobby involves art, research suggests that doing it for two or more hours weekly yields the most benefit for well-being.
2. Improves cognitive function
Hobbies that are mentally stimulating or involve physical activity may support cognitive health, positively affecting memory and decreasing the risk of dementia. A Japanese study analyzing the leisure activities of 50,000 adults age 65 and older found that dementia risk decreases as the number of hobbies increases. The researchers also associated a lower dementia risk with certain hobbies, including:
- Fishing
- Gardening
- Golf
- Handicrafts
- Travel
If you have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), it’s not too late to pick up a hobby and reap the benefits. A study published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement suggests that older adults with MCI who engage in cognitively stimulating hobbies — such as word games and puzzles — have better memory, attention and processing speed than those who do not engage in those types of leisure-time activities.
3. Reduces your risk of chronic disease
Researchers suggest that taking up a hobby in your leisure time can support the biological processes of your endocrine, immune and central nervous systems. When your body’s systems are functioning well, it may lower your risk for health issues, such as heart disease, stroke, dementia and some types of cancer.
Having hobbies — especially those that reduce stress or get you moving — may also affect your cardiometabolic health, which involves your heart, blood and blood vessels. In particular, making art helps reduce cortisol (stress hormone), which is linked to lower blood pressure levels and heart rate.
How to get the most from your hobbies
Having a pastime you enjoy will typically improve your mental health, and many hobbies will support your cognitive and physical health. But there are a few ways to get more bang for your buck when it comes to hobbies:
- Get with a group: When you find other people who enjoy the same hobby, you get the added benefits of laughter and socialization, which include longer life, less inflammation and better sleep.
- Find balance: More hobbies means more benefits, but capitalize by choosing different types of leisure-time activities. If you already have a mentally stimulating hobby, add something physical. Engage in hobbies alone and in groups.
- Take your hobby outside: Spending at least two hours a week in nature can have significant benefits for your mental and physical health.
