People Who Actually Feel Fulfilled In Life Usually Have 4 Hobbies They Look Forward To
wavebreakmedia | ShutterstockThere's not much better than being done with work and whatever daily responsibilities you have to tackle each day and settling down to enjoy your favorite hobby for a few hours.
Just thinking about cozying up with a good book or a new video game can make you feel giddy. Hobbies make everything better. They improve your health by managing stress and boosting emotional well-being. They exercise your brain and give you a creative outlet. They make life feel fulfilling.
Hobbies people who live fulfilling lives look forward to enjoying:
We live in a work-centric culture, and that means between full-time jobs and all our other responsibilities, leisure activities tend to fall by the wayside, but they shouldn't.
In fact, a 2019 study found that leisure hobbies can mitigate the negative consequences of being overworked. That means a weekly class to learn how to crochet or your stamp collection actually helps with burnout and even depression from working long hours.
1. Creative activities
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This is probably the hobby most people think of when the topic is mentioned. It encompasses everything from knitting to scrapbooking. Don't discount jigsaw puzzles either. Those count too.
Psychologist Mark Travers, Ph.D., explained, "Creative hobbies are like food for your soul. They’re one of the best ways to process emotions that feel overwhelming, and they allow us the rare opportunity to find beauty in the mundane. And, fortunately, you don’t have to be a renowned artist to reap its benefits."
He went on to cite a 2024 study that found "people who simply engage in creative hobbies report higher life satisfaction, greater happiness, and, most notably, a greater 'sense that life is worthwhile.'"
2. Appreciating art made by someone else
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Readers and movie lovers, this one's for you. It's hard not to have this hobby because most of us spend our free time watching a screen, but that's not quite enough. It's important to prioritize the other arts in this hobby, like going to a museum or listening to music.
Why not put down the screen and plug in your favorite playlist instead? Psychosocial rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry, MSEd, noted, "Music can be a source of pleasure and contentment, but it also offers many other psychological benefits. It can relax the mind, energize the body, and help people better manage pain."
3. Outdoor and physical activities
This is more than just incorporating the gym into your daily routine. Yoga classes in a park with baby goats ... need I say more? But seriously, the health benefits of physical activity and being outdoors are well documented. Mainly stress reduction, overall physical health improvements, but maybe most importantly, mood boosting.
Both exercising and being outside make you happier. That's reason enough to take a hike this weekend and incorporate both.
4. Social activities
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This type of hobby can usually be combined with one of the other three, like a book club or a cooking class. That doesn't mean every time you want to exercise you need to go to a pickleball tournament, mind you. The point is, having hobbies can open the door to being more social.
Investing in social activities obviously helps with feelings of loneliness. But it goes beyond that. It's been shown to help you live longer and even improve cognitive function. There's even proof that it can stave off dementia. Being social makes life worth living, and since hobbies do that too, it makes sense to combine them!
Sadly, way too many Americans neglect nurturing their hobbies.
According to a 2024 AYTM poll of 1,000 American adults, 67% of respondents reported having multiple hobbies. Eighteen percent said they just have one real hobby that they practice or participate in regularly, and 15% said they don’t have any hobbies.
Eighty-five percent of overall respondents consider having hobbies to be important. However, 62% agree that they can also be time-consuming. And 63% said that they wish they had more time for hobbies in their lives.
Having hobbies can make you a more well-rounded person, but unfortunately, in an age of hustle culture, many people seem to have forgotten what it means to have an interest outside of going to work and coming home. Having a wide variety of hobbies, whether that's sports, arts, or music, can truly open up a whole new world.
Hobbies should never feel like work, and frankly, they're a nice way to decompress from the stress of everyday life. It doesn't have to be something extravagant, and you don't need to be perfect at a hobby because it's just for you.
Nia Tipton is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
