Spending time on personal hobbies makes one happier

Question

This claim is made by the site Head to Health, which is a mental health and care website created by the Australian government for aged care. I believe this claim to be true, and a quote from the cite says, "Research shows that participating or viewing artistic activities can enhance your mental health and provide personal meaning." While the website doesn't reference a specific cite where the research can be found, there has been lots of outside research done on this topic, which is what leads me to believe it's true. Also, the cite itself is posted by a government organization which helps its credibility.

Comments

I think it could be helpful to speak more about atleast one other specific site that is another criedble source speaking on this topic.

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I checked out your source on this claim and it seems to be legitimate. I also researched some other sources that also backed up your claim. According to Harvard business Review they also found that by spending more time on your hobbies you can be happier. "We need to prioritize our hobbies just as much as we prioritize work, because hobbies — they make us better people," -H.B.R.

https://hbr.org/2021/10/can-hobbies-actually-make-you-a-better-person

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This is a good start but I would recommend finding some other sources to back up your claim. This fact-check does a good job of explaining the quotes and how they correlate.

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I think a second legitimate source could really improve your fact check, but this is a great start.

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I think it'd be important to better define what a personal hobby actually is, in addition to defining happiness if possible.

Answer 1

After doing some research on the topic of whether or not hobbies make you happier I found that it is true. Birch Psychology, which is a very reputable psychology research site, has done studies showing that doing hobbies and stuff we are good at releases hormones of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins which makes us happy. Harvard Business Review also said that just 45 minutes of a hobby can boost you confidance and ability to do your job at work. this builds onto the fact that it makes you happier. It seems like there are definite benefits to having a hobby even more so than just being happy.

https://hbr.org/2021/10/can-hobbies-actually-make-you-a-better-person

https://www.birchpsychology.com/birchs-blog/2023/4/30/hobbies-for-happiness#:~:text=Having%20a%20hobby%20along%20these,commitment%20to%20a%20chosen%20activity.

Answer 2

This claim is true. A study conducted by Nature Medicine from people 16 countries showed that "Compared with people who didn't have hobbies, those who did reported better health, more happiness, fewer symptoms of depression, and higher life satisfaction." These include, but are not limited to, arts and crafts, exercising, playing games, and gardening. Another study conducted by the Society of Behavioral Medicine found similar results. They found that people who take part in hobbies have fewer negative emotions and are overall less stressed. Additionally, they concluded that heart rates are lower when people are engaging in their hobbies. Spending 45 minutes on an activity you enjoy can boost your confidence and ability to complete tasks at work.