Why Are Hobbies Important for Stress Relief?

Hobbies are often thought of as activities for people who lead quiet, relaxed lives, but people with full, busy, stressful lives may actually need hobbies more than the average person. Hobbies have many stress-relieving benefits that usually make them more than worth the time they require. Keep reading to learn about the health benefits of hobbies.

Health Benefits of Hobbies

Hobbies have been found to have both psychological and physical health benefits.

One study found that those who engage in physical leisure activities for at least 20 minutes once a week are less susceptible to fatigue.Other research found that enjoyable activities performed during leisure time were associated with lower blood pressure, total cortisol, waist circumference, body mass index, and perceptions of better physical function. Such activities were also correlated with higher levels of positive psychosocial states and lower levels of depression and negative effects.

Taking a Break

Engaging in hobbies can provide a break with a purpose which can help people feel they’re not wasting time, but rather using their downtime for something productive.

Regardless of your perspective, hobbies provide a nice break during a busy week.

Experiencing Eustress

For those who aren’t overly stressed and may actually be under-stimulated, hobbies provide a nice source ofeustress, the healthy kind of stress we all need to remain feeling excited about life.

If the rest of your life is somewhat dull or uninspiring, hobbies can provide meaning and can break up a boring schedule without being a task that feels like work. In other words, hobbies can provide just the right amount of challenge and excitement.

Many hobbies lend themselves to group activities: golfing rotations, knitting circles, and creative writing groups are good examples.

Hobbies that connect you with others can bring the added benefit ofsocial support, which can bringstress reliefand meaning to life in a fun way. Shared interests and time spent together can create close connections, so hobbies that bring you closer to others are well worth your time.

Why Social Support May Be the Best Way to Help Reduce Stress

Enjoying Positive Pleasures

Positive psychology, a relatively new branch of psychology that studies what makes life worthwhile, has discovered that pleasures—activities that bring fun to life—can be wonderful for relaxation and enjoyment of the present moment.

Pleasures can bring a lift to your mood. Since hobbies generally bring pleasure into people’s lives, maintaining hobbies can be good for your overall sense of joy.

Receiving Gratifications

Positive psychology also tells us that gratifications are important activities for bringing meaning and fun to our lives. Gratifications present the kind of challenge that requires people to use personal skills and engage them in a sense of flow. This can put people in a near-meditativestate where they lose track of time and feel removed from thestressorsof life. It gives us an opportunity to fully engage in what we are doing.

Gratifications can lead to areduction in stressand a sense of well-being, and hobbies are usually experienced as gratifications. If you want more happiness and less stress in your life, hobbies provide a direct route to this through gratification.

Staving Off Burnout

Hobbies bring a sense of fun and freedom to life that can minimize theimpact of chronic stress. Those who feel overwhelmed at a job, for example, can benefit from hobbies as an outlet for stress and something to look forward to after a hard day.

Some research shows that those with jobs that often produceburnout(low-control, high-demand jobs, for example) feel less of a need to “recover” from their day at bedtime if they have more physical or social leisure activities that aren’t work-related– in other words, if they have more hobbies.

In this study, those who had a need to “recover” at bedtime were more likely to suffer from negative health and wellness outcomes like psychosomatic complaints and fatigue.

In other words, hobbies can help buffer the effects of a stressful job and mitigate factors that contribute to burnout.

How to Recover From Burnout

Takeaway

Psychologists Swear This One Thing Can Help Cure Your Chronic Stress

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eriksen W, Bruusgaard D. Do physical leisure time activities prevent fatigue? A 15 month prospective study of nurses’ aides. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(3):331-336.Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al. Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being. Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-732.noble.dana. Breaking down burnout in the workplace. Mayo Clinic Press.Additional ReadingErikson, W, Bruusgaard, D.Do Physical Leisure Time Activities Prevent Fatigue? A 15-Month Prospective Study of Nurses' Aides.Brazilian Journal of Sports Medicine. 2004;38(3): 331–336. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2002.004390Peterson, C.A Primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al.Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being.Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-32. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978Seligman, M. E. P.Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press, 2002.Sonnentag, S.Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.Journal of Applied Psychology. 2006;91(2).

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eriksen W, Bruusgaard D. Do physical leisure time activities prevent fatigue? A 15 month prospective study of nurses’ aides. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(3):331-336.Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al. Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being. Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-732.noble.dana. Breaking down burnout in the workplace. Mayo Clinic Press.Additional ReadingErikson, W, Bruusgaard, D.Do Physical Leisure Time Activities Prevent Fatigue? A 15-Month Prospective Study of Nurses' Aides.Brazilian Journal of Sports Medicine. 2004;38(3): 331–336. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2002.004390Peterson, C.A Primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al.Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being.Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-32. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978Seligman, M. E. P.Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press, 2002.Sonnentag, S.Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.Journal of Applied Psychology. 2006;91(2).

Eriksen W, Bruusgaard D. Do physical leisure time activities prevent fatigue? A 15 month prospective study of nurses’ aides. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(3):331-336.Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al. Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being. Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-732.noble.dana. Breaking down burnout in the workplace. Mayo Clinic Press.

Eriksen W, Bruusgaard D. Do physical leisure time activities prevent fatigue? A 15 month prospective study of nurses’ aides. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38(3):331-336.

Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al. Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being. Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-732.

noble.dana. Breaking down burnout in the workplace. Mayo Clinic Press.

Erikson, W, Bruusgaard, D.Do Physical Leisure Time Activities Prevent Fatigue? A 15-Month Prospective Study of Nurses' Aides.Brazilian Journal of Sports Medicine. 2004;38(3): 331–336. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2002.004390Peterson, C.A Primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al.Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being.Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-32. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978Seligman, M. E. P.Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press, 2002.Sonnentag, S.Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.Journal of Applied Psychology. 2006;91(2).

Peterson, C.A Primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.

Pressman SD, Matthews KA, Cohen S, et al.Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being.Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):725-32. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978

Seligman, M. E. P.Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press, 2002.

Sonnentag, S.Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.Journal of Applied Psychology. 2006;91(2).

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Health Benefits of Hobbies#

Taking a Break#

Experiencing Eustress#

Having a Social Outlet#

Enjoying Positive Pleasures#

Receiving Gratifications#

Staving Off Burnout#

Takeaway#