People often say that working professionals should have hobbies to relieve stress. I’ve always been conscious of this, but I wasn’t entirely convinced about whether it truly works or what kind of hobbies are actually best.
Recently, I came across a fascinating paper by Yusuke Arima titled “Happiness and Tolerance from the Perspective of ‘Play’”. In this study, the author surveyed and analyzed the impact of hobbies on happiness. I found it so interesting that I’d like to share a few key takeaways. (Please note that this is my personal interpretation as a non-expert; I’ve focused on the conclusions to keep it simple. For details, I highly recommend reading the full paper!)
Here are the three points I found particularly intriguing:
- Positive emotions correlate with hobbies involving social relationships, such as friends and family (e.g., enjoying cafes/bars, BBQs, picnics, and traveling).
- Lower levels of negative emotions correlate with hobbies involving nature (e.g., forest bathing, gardening, and cherry blossom viewing).
- Having hobbies that provide a sense of personal growth is crucial for experiencing positive emotions.
It might feel like these are things we’ve heard before or read in various books, but seeing them backed by statistical research is incredibly interesting.
To me, it feels important to practice both: proactively pursuing happiness by cultivating positive emotions and protecting ourselves by reducing negative emotions.
That’s all for today’s introduction to the literature on hobbies and happiness. Thank you for reading!
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