Hobbies make us happy and help us live in the moment

«What’s a hobby?» my daughter recently asked me while looking through her new friendship journal. She’s eight years old, a DIY fan and spends her spare time doing athletics or climbing. And yes, Katja Fischer’s so right when she says your kids’ hobbies are yours, too. Caught off guard, I stammered something about leisure activities and things you like doing. But I wasn’t happy with my answer.

So I looked the term up and found out it’s the shortened form of «hobbyhorse». The meaning of it has shifted from «small horse or pony» to «toy horse for children» to «favourite pastime or avocation» with the connecting notion that it’s an activity that’s done purely for fun. Speaking of fun, here’s a fun fact: the hobby of Hobby Horsing is currently taking the world by storm.

Hobbies are about getting into that flow state

The next step in my research was calling an expert. Verena Sammer is a cultural and social anthropologist and coach who works with people on their personal growth. She enjoys spending her spare time doing yoga, mountain biking, ski touring, freeriding or kitesurfing. «There’s no clear difference between the words ’hobby’ and ’leisure activity’. They’re used synonymously,» she says. «A hobby is defined as a fulfilling pastime that’s pursued voluntarily, regularly and with personal interest, so intrinsically motivated. In addition to regularity, a hobby has an active element, which can be something creative or something to do with sports.»

Does this mean medically prescribed jogging isn’t a hobby? «Well, the essence of a hobby is that you’re 100% in the moment, removed from time. You experience a state of flow through our hobbies, which is why they’re so good for switching off. And the activity as such feels like a reward. If your doctor tells you to go running, you might experience a so-called runner’s high. Or you might not.»

So how do you reach that flow state? When you’re challenged enough, but not too much. What’s key is that you never feel bored.

Scrolling through feeds for hours isn’t a hobby

Am I right in thinking today’s digital activities used to be yesterday’s collecting stamps or building model trains? Have we swapped hobbies for social media?

According to Verena Sammer, the answer’s definitely no, as scrolling through social media feeds for hours isn’t a hobby. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

«A hobby is something you do out of pure joy and pleasure. Mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds without clear intention is often a habit that serves as a distraction and pastime.» And what does happiness have to do with hobbies? In 2010, psychologists at Harvard University investigated what makes people happy. The result? Happiness doesn’t depend on what we do, but on whether we’re fully focused when we’re doing it.

Distraction therefore tends to lead to dissatisfaction. «Things like social media feeds distract us,» Verena Sammer says. This doesn’t mean you have to give up funny TikTok videos forever or never look for recipes on Instagram again. After all, society is living the connectivity megatrend that’s pushed by social media and all those digital devices. But if you want to stay focus, make the conscious decision to step back and define personal goals for using your smartphone.

Your hobbies reflect your personality

In this study, researchers have confirmed that in the digital (news) world, topics are changing much faster while attention spans and concentration levels are decreasing. «That’s exactly why it’s so important to be in the here and now more often to achieve that state of flow,» Verena Sammer adds. «There are ways of practising this – meditation, for instance. But with a hobby, it works all by itself.»

When I was a child, I used to wonder whether reading books was a hobby. After all, many kids didn’t enjoy it, as there was a lot of mandatory reading in school. However, as Verena Sammer confirms, hobbies are very individual. «Hobbies are part of our self-discovery and identity formation. They’re a way of finding our passions and talents and a space for creative expression.» According to the Sammer, «creative» in this context refers to experiencing ourselves outside our daily routine. And this creative space is different for everyone. «For some, it’s experiencing the thrill of paragliding, for others, it’s contemplative watercolouring.»

Finding the right hobby

Now that we know we should ideally all have a hobby, the next question is how to find the right one. «The first thing you can do is look at what you liked when you were a child and take that up again,» Verena Sammer says. Some things might seem outdated, but have experienced a revival – baking or knitting, for instance. Baking bread became hugely popular during the pandemic and knitting’s been conquering public spaces for years as guerrilla knitting or yarn bombing.

«If you want to find a hobby, ask yourself what you really enjoy doing. What are the activities that allow you to show your strengths or even leave your comfort zone? Is it important for you to share this hobby with others or do you want to experience that flow state on your own? Try out various activities and see what you like.»

And, of course, your new hobby needs to fit into your everyday life, schedule and budget. «The most important thing is that it’s good for your body, mind and heart.»

Make sure your hobby doesn’t add stress. «Feel free to set goals for your leisure activities and put passion into learning that new skateboard trick or beating your best time in a half marathon. But remember that hobbies are about forming your identity and growing as an individual, not about comparing yourself with others.»