Among those over 65, having a hobby is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of happiness.
- The prevalence of leisure engagement varied considerably between countries, ranging from 51% of Spanish respondents to 96% of Danish seniors.
- Having a hobby was linked to fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of health and happiness.
- Hobbies can also contribute to life satisfaction through “a sense of control over our minds and bodies, a search for purpose in life, and a sense of competence in handling everyday problems.”
Increasingly aging populations pose a threat to global health due to the social and psychological challenges they face. To alleviate this phenomenon, many countries encourage older people to find hobbies to improve their mental health. “Yet it remains unclear whether the benefits are consistent across different national contexts,” said British and Japanese scientists.
In Denmark, 96% of seniors have a hobby
As part of work published in the journal Nature Medicine, they tried to determine the virtues of hobbies by examining data from 93,263 people aged 65 or over. The latter were part of five existing research studies in England, Japan, the United States, China and 12 other European countries. Hobbies were defined as activities that adults engage in during their free time for fun, which can range from volunteering or participating in a club, to reading, gardening, games, and art.
According to the information, analyzed over a period of four to eight years, the proportion of volunteers reporting having a hobby varied significantly between countries: 51% of study participants in Spain reported having a hobby. time, compared to 96% in Denmark, 95.8% in Sweden and 94.4% in Switzerland. China had the lowest level of leisure engagement, at 37.6%, but the authors cautioned that those surveyed in the China research were asked only about social leisure, not leisure hobbies. general.
Fewer depressive symptoms in people with a hobby
The team found that having a hobby was linked to a decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in happiness and life satisfaction, suggesting that there may be a connection between the two , although it was an observational study that could not prove causation.
Faced with these results, researchers believe that leisure activities can protect the mental health of seniors in many countries. “Of the four outcomes, life satisfaction was most strongly related to engagement in a hobby. Hobbies can contribute to life satisfaction in our later years through many mechanisms, including the feeling of control over our minds and bodies, the search for purpose in life and the feeling of competence to manage everyday problems”, said Hei Wan Mak, author of the study, in a statement.
“Theoretical work suggests that the link between leisure and well-being may go both ways: people with better mental health may be more likely to take up a hobby, and have a hobby during long can help us maintain greater life satisfaction. Our research also inspires politicians to promote access to leisure as a way to improve the well-being and health of older adults. she continued.
