If you don't have a hobby, maybe it's time to go find one. Because back in 2017, a team of scientists in the United Kingdom wrapped up a thirteen-year study on the relationship between hobbies and mental health – and their findings were both overwhelmingly conclusive and positive.
The study focused on a group of 8,780 adult participants. Every other year for thirteen years, the participants self-reported the kinds of hobbies they had, as well as how regularly they engaged in these hobbies. After self-reporting, participants were then screened for depression using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale.
Through these repeated screenings, the team determined that having hobbies led to "a decrease in depressive symptoms," as well as "lower odds of experiencing depression."
According to the research team, their study "support[s] the ongoing work of clinicians, psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers" in recommending hobbies to those individuals hoping to improve their mental health.
So, what’s my advice?
I think the research speaks for itself here, but just in case it doesn’t, here's the TLDR: If you don’t have a hobby, go find one. And if you do have a hobby, keep it. Maybe even go find another one.
Because as the study proves, having a hobby is one of the best ways to ward off minor depressive symptoms. And even if your mental health isn't suffering, having a hobby (or two) is a great way to improve your life.
P.S. If you're interested in reading the original study in greater detail, here's the link.