Hobbies have had many resurgences throughout history. People have always found that we need a way to occupy our free time. An activity that makes us feel accomplished and self satisfied, yet also doesn’t feel like work. Hobbies have and always will be a necessity.

The Origin of The Term:

As mentioned in the article Evolve, The word “Hobby” itself was derived from a common phrase around the 18th century. In the 16th century the term “Hobby-horse” was used to describe a children’s toy, that was a small wooden rocking horse. The phrase “Ride your hobby horse” evolved to mean “Participate in your favorite activity” because it was so popular among children as a way to spend their free time. As time went on people began to shorten this phrase and it soon became normal to just say the word Hobby to reference you favorite pastime.

The Origin of The Pastime:

American hobbies can be traced back to the industrial revolution. During this time period, work became a very large part of most people’s lives. Labor unions began to fight back against factory hours, advocating for shorter days and five day weeks. This gave people the chance to have free time. “People began picking up hobbies as a way to fill the hours in between work with something pleasurable, while still not wasting the day away. ” as stated in the text from The Michigan Daily. Pastimes like cycling, horse races, watching sports, playing music, and cards. It also became popular to go on outings to the theater or opera houses to watch shows.

The Modern Day Problem:

During the COVID-19 pandemic hobbies had yet another comeback. People being stuck in their homes, having less work to do and almost no social interaction, created the perfect environment for people to want to find a hobby. Social media also helped with this. People started posting about their hobbies, reading, bread making, yoga, and crocheting. It was all showing up on everyone’s for you pages. People once again needed a pastime. During the pandemic finding a hobby and sharing it made us feel less isolated. It was a way to release the stress we all felt over things that we couldn’t control.

However, hobbies have become very commercialized because of this as well. With the rise of social media hobbies have become somewhat commercialized. People see all of these really talented people online, and they don’t feel like hobbies are accessible to them. It can be very discouraging. “In a study conducted by Swedish researchers that analyzed three cohorts of young adults from 1990-2011, they found that there has been a decrease in time spent on in-person social interactions, reading and other offline activities. All the while, time spent online increased considerably, including activities like watching TV. ” as stated in the Michigan Daily. This just shows that we need to get back to a point where hobbies are more for us, that for showing of to other people. We need to realize that what we see on social media is these peoples jobs, but it can still be our hobbies.

Overall, in times of need people have always found a way to turn to hobbies. It is clear, that sometimes we need to take a step back from work or school, take a breath, and do something that is solely for ourselves. It’s okay not to always be going a mile a minute, full throttle into our job. There is a psychological need for free time, and it is proven to make us feel better both physically and mentally.

Sources:

https://evolvetreatment.com/blog/find-hobby/