Do you have hobbies?

            In America almost everyone has a hobby. Hobbies are activities or interests that we pursue for pleasure and relaxation. Whatever forms they might take, hobbies seem to share a purpose, they allow us to remove ourselves from the world. They distance us from the stresses of our daily lives. According to the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (yes, that is really his name, but please don’t ask me to pronounce it!!!), deep involvement in any activity (especially hobbies) allows us to enter a state of consciousness called flow. In the flow state, people become fully immersed in what they are doing and feel fully energized. Many believe that immersion in the flow state, much like meditation, has beneficial consequences on health and well-being. A hobby provides a place where we can escape from the stresses of the world, at least for a few minutes.

Many Americans, in the tradition of an independent spirit, like to build or fix things. Most American homes have some kind of work area (mine does too, I just can’t find it under all the mess in my garage). My grandfather had an elaborate woodworking shop. He built all kinds of things including toys for the grandkids and nutcrackers.

            When I was young, my main hobby was reading, a hobby I picked up from my mother. I learned so much from reading, I read a LOT of books. These books instilled in me a love of history. Though I still read history books, my interest has emerged into a different hobby, coin collecting. I enjoy researching the background and history of different coins I acquire for my collection. I think I enjoy the challenge of discovering about the coins more than the coins themselves. This knowledge of history I have acquired is very useful in my job as a psychology professor where I’m expected to know about quite a few different things in order to understand the bigger picture and present material in a context that the students understand.

            Many in the younger generation look toward technology to find their hobbies. The number of people that play video games and the amount of money spent on them is amazing. And it’s not just young people, I know plenty of older people who love to play games too.  Video games can be a hobby if they allow one to enter a flow state, but for many, they are simply a way to pass the time. If you ask many in the younger generation, they might say that talking on the phone is a hobby. After my classes the students almost always grab their phones and start talking. Talking on the phone is definitely not a hobby.

Many Korean people that I know don’t seem to think they have enough time for hobbies and almost seem to look down on them as trivial.  No,  addiction to the Korean dramas is not quite the same thing as a hobby. It is not a flow state if you passively watch with your mouth hanging open while you stare at the TV with glassy eyes like my wife sometimes does. When my wife and I were first married, she had no hobbies and didn’t really understand the idea. Early in our marriage she used to say “I am so bored.” She was so used to getting together with people in Korea and didn’t understand the way people  in America disappear after dark, going home to their own families. Then she realized that American people do their hobbies at home. After ten years of marriage she has developed a few hobbies. She enjoys quilting and scrapbooking when she can find the time. She really enjoys these hobbies and I can see that she enters a flow state when immersed in them. Also, they give her something to talk about with other women.