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Believe it or not, engaging in a hobby you love can improve your overall health.
It has long been established that physical activities such as exercise have long term benefits for your mind and body, but a new study revealed that doing hobbies that you truly enjoy could also be the key to preventing diseases.
In a study conducted by Matthew Zawadzki, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Merced, 115 males and females aged 20 to 80 took part in the research. To analyze the stress levels of the participants, Zawadski measured their heart rates and asked them to complete surveys throughout the day. The surveys basically asked participants to share the activities they did and how they felt about them.
When participating in a hobby or leisure activity, participants had lower heart rates (by 3%) and stress levels (by 34%) compared to the parts of the day they weren’t doing leisure activities. Based on the results of the study, leisure activities mostly involved socializing and exercising. It also included activities such as listening to music, doing puzzles, watching TV, and even sewing.
Moreover, the study revealed that participants were on the average 18% happier than they were when indulging in a hobby.
“We’re still talking about the short term, but there was a definite carryover effect later in the day. And if we start thinking about that beneficial carryover effect day after day, year after year, it starts to make sense how leisure can help improve health in the long term,” Zawadski said.
Stress, which causes a build-up of higher blood pressure, heart rate, and hormone levels, has become a global epidemic according to Jeff Brown of Harvard Medical School. Combatting this by doing what you love can help you keep your health in top shape.
