A hobby is an activity that a person pursues outside of work for enjoyment, learning and self-fulfillment. Hobbies can be anything from playing with children to assembling model train sets to writing books. They are often creative and arty in nature but could also be active such as gardening or participating in sports. In the past, hobbies were often thought of as childish pursuits but with industrialization came more leisure time and people began to take their hobbies seriously.
A person can have many hobbies and will often change them up with their interests or with the seasons. Some people will make a career of their hobby and others will simply participate in it as a way to relax. Hobbies are a great way to maintain a work-life balance and they help to keep a mind busy with something other than daily stressors.
Practicing a hobby can help to increase a sense of happiness and reduce depression in a person. It can also provide a social element to a person’s life where they get to engage with other people in similar activities. For example, a group of people might gather to play cards or take part in a board game. It can also be a great way to socialize at home and is much cheaper than going out on the town.
Some hobbies will result in an end product such as woodworking, painting or designing a piece of jewelry. Other hobbies such as video or music production and software tinkering are progressive, irregular tasks undertaken over a long period of time.