Why start a new hobby?

Here is a depressing statistic: The average American watches an average of almost 5 hours of television every day. Here is another depressing statistic: The most common thing Americans like to do on vacations is "shopping."

For most Americans, both men and women, shopping and watching television essentially ARE their hobbies. These are facts that I like to trot out whenever someone rolls their eyes at talk of hobbies.

The word "hobby" once meant "what I do when I'm not working," and just about everybody had one. People sewed, practiced woodworking, played musical instruments, knit, quilted, played card games, went bowling, bird watching, you name it. Your hobby was the fun thing you did in your free time, before television came along and gobbled all of our free time right up.

What do you lose, when television becomes your hobby?

First and foremost, you lose the cognitive benefits of learning and maintaining a hobby. There is nothing that's as good for your mind as learning and honing a new skill. And many hobbies (particularly the outdoorsy sort) offer physical benefits as well. The only thing television has to offer is sitting for hours being passively entertained.

Hobbies also provide a social realm that television cannot match. Some hobbies (like playing cards, bowling and other competitive sports) are inherently social. But even solitary hobbies like knitting offer the opportunity to hook into local enthusiast groups, meet-ups, and conventions.

And finally, there is the product of your hobby. Whether it's a life of travel experiences birdspotting out in the wild, a delicious trout dinner that you caught with a hand-tied fly, or just the satisfaction of having won a difficult chess match. A hobby provides an end result that is, whether tangible or not, far more substantial than another night watching television.

No matter what kind of things you like to do, there's a hobby out there that is calling to you. Why not try out something new and see what you think?

Image from Detroit Model Railroad Show courtesy Flickr/Wigwam Jones