Hobby

A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for

enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include
collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and
artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements.
Participation in hobbies encourages acquiring substantial skills and
knowledge in that area. A list of hobbies changes with renewed
interests and developing fashions, making it diverse and lengthy.
Hobbies tend to follow trends in society, for example stamp
collecting was popular during the nineteenth and twentieth Hobby: collecting seashells
centuries as postal systems were the main means of communication,
while video games are more popular nowadays following
technological advances. The advancing production and technology
of the nineteenth century provided workers with more leisure time
to engage in hobbies. Because of this, the efforts of people
investing in hobbies has increased with time.

Hobbyists may be identified under three sub-categories: casual

leisure which is intrinsically rewarding, short-lived, pleasurable
activity requiring little or no preparation, serious leisure which is
the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer that is

In Tristram Shandy, the term "hobby-

horse" was used to refer to
whimsical obsessions, which led to
the current use of the word "hobby"
substantial, rewarding and results in a sense of accomplishment, and finally project-based leisure which is a
short-term, often one-off, project that is rewarding.[1]

Contents
Etymology
History
Hobbyists
Types of hobbies
Collecting
Making and tinkering
Activity participation
Liberal arts pursuits
Sports and games
Psychological role
Significant achievements
See also
References
External links

Etymology
In the 16th century, the term "hobby" had the meaning of
"small horse and pony". The term "hobby horse" was
documented in a 1557 payment confirmation for a
"Hobbyhorse" from Reading, England.[2] The item, originally
called a "Tourney Horse", was made of a wooden or
basketwork frame with an artificial tail and head. It was
designed for a child to mimic riding a real horse. By 1816 the
derivative, "hobby", was introduced into the vocabulary of a
number of English people.[3] Over the course of subsequent
centuries, the term came to be associated with recreation and Writing and editing articles for Wikipedia
leisure. In the 17th century, the term was used in a pejorative
is a hobby for some people.
sense by suggesting that a hobby was a childish pursuit,
however, in the 18th century with more industrial society and
more leisure time, hobbies took on greater respectability.[4] A hobby is also called a pastime, derived from
the use of hobbies to pass the time. A hobby became an activity that is practiced regularly and usually with
some worthwhile purpose.[5] Hobbies are usually, but not always, practiced primarily for interest and
enjoyment, rather than financial reward.

History
Prior to the mid-19th century, hobbies were generally considered as an obsession, childish or trivial, with
negative connotations.[6] However, as early as 1676 Sir Matthew Hale, in Contemplations Moral and
Divine, wrote "Almost every person hath some hobby horse or other wherein he prides himself."[7] He was
acknowledging that a "hobby horse" produces a legitimate sense of pride. The cultural shift towards
acceptance of hobbies was thought to begin during the mid 18th century as working people had more
regular hours of work and greater leisure time, spending more time to pursue interests that brought them
satisfaction.[8] However, there was concern that these working people might not use their leisure time in
worthwhile pursuits. "The hope of weaning people away from bad habits by the provision of counter-
attractions came to the fore in the 1830s, and has rarely waned since. Initially, the bad habits were
perceived to be of a sensual and physical nature, and the counter attractions, or perhaps more accurately
alternatives, deliberately cultivated rationality and the intellect."[9] The book and magazine trade of the day
encouraged worthwhile hobbies and pursuits. The burgeoning manufacturing trade made materials used in
hobbies cheap and was responsive to the changing interests of hobbyists.

In 1941, George Orwell identified hobbies as central to European culture at the time: "Another English
characteristic which is so much a part of us that we barely notice it … is the addiction to hobbies and spare-
time occupations, the prolateness of English life. We are a nation of flower-lovers, but also a nation of
stamp-collectors, pigeon-fanciers, amateur carpenters, coupon-snippers, darts-players, crossword-puzzle
fans. All the culture that is most truly native centers round things which even when they are communal are
not official—the pub, the football match, the back garden, the fireside and the 'nice cup of tea'."[10]

Deciding what to include in a list of hobbies provokes debate because it is difficult to decide which
pleasurable pass-times can also be described as hobbies. During the 20th century the term hobby suggested
activities, such as stamp collecting, embroidery, knitting, painting, woodwork, and photography. Typically
the description did not include activities like listening to music, watching television, or reading. These latter
activities bring pleasure, but lack the sense of achievement usually associated with a hobby. They are
usually not structured, organized pursuits, as most hobbies are. The pleasure of a hobby is usually
associated with making something of value or achieving something of value. "Such leisure is socially
valorized precisely because it produces feelings of satisfaction with something that looks very much like
work but that is done of its own sake." [5] "Hobbies are a contradiction: they take work and turn it into
leisure, and take leisure and turn it into work."[11] A 2018 study using survey results identified the term
"hobby" to most accurately describe activities associated with making or collecting objects, especially when
done alone.[6]

Cultural trends related to hobbies change with time. In the 21st century, the video game industry has been
popular as a hobby involving millions of children and adults. Stamp collecting declined along with the
importance of the postal system. Woodwork and knitting declined as hobbies, because manufactured goods
provide cheap alternatives for handmade goods. Through the internet, an online community has become a
hobby for many people; sharing advice, information and support, and in some cases, allowing a traditional
hobby, such as collecting, to flourish and support trading in a new environment.

Hobbyists
Hobbyists are a part of a wider group of people engaged in leisure pursuits where the boundaries of each
group overlap to some extent. The Serious Leisure Perspective[12] groups hobbyists with amateurs and
volunteers and identifies three broad groups of leisure activity with hobbies being found mainly in the
Serious leisure category. Casual leisure is intrinsically rewarding, short-lived, pleasurable activity requiring
little or no preparation. Serious leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer that is
substantial, rewarding and results in a sense of accomplishment. Finally, project-based leisure is a short-
term often a one-off project that is rewarding.[1]
The terms amateur and hobbyist are often used interchangeably. Stebbins[12] has a framework which
distinguishes the terms in a useful categorization of leisure in which casual leisure is separated from serious
Leisure. He describes serious leisure as undertaken by amateurs, hobbyists and volunteers. Amateurs
engage in pursuits that have a professional counterpart, such as playing an instrument or astronomy.
Hobbyists engage in five broad types of activity: collecting, making and tinkering (like embroidery and car
restoration), activity participation (like fishing and singing), sports and games, and liberal-arts hobbies
(like languages, cuisine, literature). Volunteers commit to organizations where they work as guides,
counsellors, gardeners and so on. The separation of the amateur from the hobbyist is because the amateur
has the ethos of the professional practitioner as a guide to practice. An amateur clarinetist is conscious of the
role and procedures of a professional clarinetist.

A large proportion of hobbies are mainly solitary in nature.[13] However, individual pursuit of a hobby
often includes club memberships, organized sharing of products and regular communication between
participants. For many hobbies there is an important role in being in touch with fellow hobbyists. Some
hobbies are of communal nature, like choral singing and volunteering.

People who engage in hobbies have an interest in and time to pursue them. Children have been an
important group of hobbyists because they are enthusiastic for collecting, making and exploring, in addition
to this they have the leisure time that allows them to pursue those hobbies. The growth in hobbies occurred
during industrialization which gave workers set time for leisure. During the Depression there was an
increase in the participation in hobbies because the unemployed had the time and a desire to be
purposefully occupied.[14] Hobbies are often pursued with an increased interest by retired people because
they have the time and seek the intellectual and physical stimulation a hobby provides.

Types of hobbies
Hobbies are a diverse set of activities and it is difficult to categorize them in a logical manner. The
following categorization of hobbies was developed by Stebbins.[1]

Collecting

Collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying and storing.[15]
Collecting is appealing to many people due to their interest in a particular subject and a desire to categorize
and make order out of complexity. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating items from countries of the
world. Others focus on a subtopic within their area of interest, perhaps 19th century postage stamps, milk
bottle labels from Sussex, or Mongolian harnesses and tack, Firearms (both modern and vintage).

Collecting is an ancient hobby, with the list of coin collectors

showing Caesar Augustus as one. Sometimes collectors have
turned their hobby into a business, becoming commercial dealers
that trade in the items being collected.

An alternative to collecting physical objects is collecting records of

events of a particular kind. Examples include train spotting, bird-
watching, aircraft spotting, railfans, and any other form of
systematic recording a particular phenomenon. The recording form
can be written, photographic, online, etc. A stamp album used in stamp
collecting.

Making and tinkering

Making and tinkering includes working on self-motivated projects for fulfillment. These projects may be
progressive, irregular tasks performed over a long period of time.[1] Making and Tinkering hobbies include
higher-end projects, such as building or restoring a car or building a computer from individual parts, like
CPUs and SSDs. For computer savvy do-it-yourself hobbyists, CNC (Computer Numerical Control)
machining may also popular. A CNC machine can be assembled and programmed to make different parts
from wood or metal.

Tinkering is 'dabbling' with the making process, often applied to the hobby of tinkering with car repairs,
and various kinds of restoration: of furniture, antique cars, etc. It also applies to household tinkering:
repairing a wall, laying a pathway, etc. Examples of Making and Tinkering hobbies include Scale
modeling, model engineering, 3D printing, dressmaking, and cooking.

Scale modeling is making a replica of a real-life object in a smaller scale and dates back to prehistoric times
with small clay "dolls" and other children's toys that have been found near known populated areas. Some
of the earliest scale models of residences were found in Cucuteni–Trypillia culture in Eastern Europe.
These artifacts were dated to be around 3000-6000 BC.[16] Similar models dating back to the same period
were found in ancient Egypt, India, China and Mesopotamia archaeological sites.[17]

At the turn of the Industrial Age and through the 1920s, some families could afford things such as electric
trains, wind-up toys (typically boats or cars) and the increasingly valuable tin toy soldiers. Scale modeling
as we know it today became popular shortly after World War II. Before 1946, children as well as adults
were content in carving and shaping wooden replicas from block wood kits, often depicting enemy aircraft
to help with identification in case of an invasion.

With the advent of modern plastics, the amount of skill required to get the basic shape accurately shown for
any given subject was lessened, making it easier for people of all ages to begin assembling replicas in
varying scales. Superheroes, aero planes, boats, cars, tanks, artillery, and even figures of soldiers became
quite popular subjects to build, paint and display. Although almost any subject can be found in almost any
scale, there are common scales for such miniatures which remain constant today.

Model engineering refers to building functioning machinery in metal, such as internal combustion motors
and live steam models or locomotives. This is a demanding hobby that requires a multitude of large and
expensive tools, such as lathes and mills. This hobby originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th
century, later spreading and flourishing in the mid-20th century. Due to the expense and space required, it is
becoming rare.

3D Printing is a relatively new

technology and already a major hobby
as the cost of printers has fallen
sharply. It is a good example of how
hobbyists quickly engage with new
technologies, communicate with one
another and become producers related
to their former hobby. 3D modeling is
the process of making mathematical
A coffee-table sized model railroad
representations of three dimensional
items and is an aspect of 3D printing.

Dressmaking has been a major hobby up until the late 20th century, in order to make cheap clothes, but
also as a creative design and craft challenge. It has been reduced by the low cost of manufactured clothes.
Cooking is for some people an interest, a hobby, a challenge and a source of significant satisfaction. For
many other people it is a job, a chore, a duty, like cleaning. In the early 21st century the importance of
cooking as a hobby was demonstrated by the high popularity of competitive television cooking programs.

Activity participation

Activity participation includes partaking in "non-competitive, rule-based pursuits."[1]

Outdoor pursuits are the group of activities which occur outdoors. These hobbies include gardening, hill
walking, hiking, backpacking, cycling, canoeing, climbing, caving, fishing, hunting, target shooting
(informal or formal), wildlife viewing (as birdwatching) and engaging in watersports and snowsports.

One large subset of outdoor pursuits is gardening. Residential

gardening most often takes place in or about one's own residence,
in a space referred to as the garden. Although a garden typically is
located on the land near a residence, it may also be located on a
roof, in an atrium, on a balcony, in a windowbox, or on a patio or
vivarium.

Gardening also takes place in non-residential green areas, such as

parks, public or semi-public gardens (botanical gardens or
zoological gardens), amusement and theme parks, along Gardening
transportation corridors, and around tourist attractions and hotels. In
these situations, a staff of gardeners or groundskeepers maintains
the gardens. Moreover the benefits are real.[18]

Indoor gardening is concerned with growing houseplants within a

residence or building, in a conservatory, or in a greenhouse. Indoor
gardens are sometimes incorporated into air conditioning or heating
systems.

Water gardening is concerned with growing plants that have

adapted to pools and ponds, along with aquascaping in planted
aquariums. Bog gardens are also considered a type of water garden.
A simple water garden may consist solely of a tub containing the
water and plants. A variety of flowers and vegetables
in an indoor garden.
Container gardening is concerned with growing plants in containers
that are placed above the ground.

Liberal arts pursuits

Many hobbies involve performances by the hobbyist, such as singing, acting, juggling, magic, dancing,
playing a musical instrument, martial arts, and other performing arts.

Some hobbies may result in an end product. Examples of this would be woodworking, photography,
moviemaking, jewelry making, software projects such as Photoshopping and home music or video
production, making bracelets, artistic projects such as drawing, painting, Cosplay (design, creation, and
wearing a costume based on an already existing creative property), creating models out of card stock or
paper – called papercraft. Many of these fall under the category visual arts.
Writing is often taken up as a hobby by aspiring writers and usually
appears in the form of personal blog, guest posting or fan fiction
(literary art resulting in creation of written content based on already
existing, licensed creative property under specified terms).[19]

Reading books, ebooks, magazines, comics, or newspapers, along

with browsing the internet is a common hobby, and one that can
trace its origins back hundreds of years. A love of literature, later in
life, may be sparked by an interest in reading children's literature as
a child. Many of these fall under the category literary arts.

Sports and games

Stebbins[1] distinguishes an amateur sports person and a hobbyist

by suggesting a hobbyist plays in less formal sports, or games that
are rule bound and have no professional equivalent. While an
An amateur magician performing
amateur sports individual plays a sport with a professional
equivalent, such as football or tennis. Amateur sport may range
from informal play to highly competitive practice, such as deck
tennis or long distance trekking.

The Department for Culture, Media, and Support in England suggests that playing sports benefits physical
and mental health. A positive relationship appeared between engaging in sports and improving overall
health.[20]

Psychological role
During the 20th century there was extensive research into the important role that play has in human
development. While most evident in childhood, play continues throughout life for many adults in the form
of games, hobbies, and sport.[21] Moreover, studies of aging and society support the value of hobbies in
healthy aging.[22]

Significant achievements
There have been many instances where hobbyists and amateurs have achieved significant discoveries and
developments. These are a small sample.

Amateur astronomers have explored the skies for centuries and there is a long list of Notable
amateur astronomers who have made major discoveries. Amateur astronomers Alan Hale
and Thomas Bopp discovered the Comet Hale–Bopp.[23]
A substantial amount of early scientific research came from the amateur activities of the
wealthy, such as Antoine Lavoisier's contributions to the science of chemistry.[24] At that time
there were few professional scientists and little formal study in the area. Another example is
the experimentation in electricity that Benjamin Franklin undertook that resulted in his
invention of the lightning rod.[25]
Open source is a development model using the internet to cooperate on projects. It is most
notable in the development of software and widely used software, which has been
developed and maintained by large numbers of people, including many home-based
amateurs with high level expertise.
 While the general public was not aware of nature observation which was formally conducted
as field research, during the 1930s, practitioners of the hobby went on to become the
pioneers of the conservation movement that flourished in the UK from 1965 onwards.

See also
Avocation
Entertainment
Community of interest
List of hobbies
Personal life
Play (activity)

References
1. Stebbins, Robert (2015). Serious Leisure: A Perspective for Our Time. New Brunswick:
Transaction Publishers.
2. The Phrase Finder (1996–2012). "Hobby-horse" (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/hobb
y-horse.html). The Phrase Finder. Gary Martin. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
3. Douglas Harper (2001–2012). "hobby" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hobby).
Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
4. Gelber S M. '’Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America’’ Columbia University
Press, 1999, p. 11.
5. Gelber S M. ‘’Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America’’ Columbia University
Press, 1999, p. 12.
6. Daily, Larry Z. (3 July 2018). "Towards a definition of "hobby": An empirical test of a
proposed operational definition of the word hobby" (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1
080/14427591.2018.1463286). Journal of Occupational Science. 25 (3): 368–382.
doi:10.1080/14427591.2018.1463286 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F14427591.2018.146328
6). ISSN 1442-7591 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1442-7591). S2CID 169312007 (https://a
pi.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:169312007).
7. Sir Matthew Hale (1676). Contemplations moral and divine (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=cL1AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP5). Printed by William Godbid, for William Shrowbury at the
Bible in Duke-Lane, and John Leigh at the Blew Bell Fleet Street near Chancery-lane.
p. 201.
8. Gelber S M. '’Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America’’ Columbia University
Press, 1999, p. 3.
9. Thomson F M L. ‘’The Cambridge Social History of Britain, 1750–1950 Vol 2’’. Cambridge
University Press, 1990, p. 327
10. Orwell, George (28 February 1941). "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English
Genius" (http://orwell.ru/library/essays/lion/english/e_eye). England Your England.
11. Gelber S M. ‘’Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America’’ Columbia University
Press, 1999, p. 23.
12. "The Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP)" (http://www.seriousleisure.net/). The Serious
Leisure Perspective (SLP). Retrieved 18 February 2016.
13. Gelber S M. ‘’Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America’’ Columbia University
Press, 1999, p. 28.
14. Gelber, Steven (1991). "A Job You Can't Lose: Work and Hobbies in the Great Depression".
Journal of Social History. Oxford University Press. 24 (4): 741–766. doi:10.1353/jsh/24.4.741
(https://doi.org/10.1353%2Fjsh%2F24.4.741). JSTOR 3788855 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/
3788855).
15. Gelber S M. '’Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America’’ Columbia University
Press, 1999, p. 11.
16. "History of modeling. Making models from antiquity to the present day | Architekton | Kiev,
Ukraine" (https://www.architektonix.com/model-making/history-of-modeling/). Architekton.
Retrieved 17 March 2021.
17. "History of modeling. Making models from antiquity to the present day | Architekton | Kiev,
Ukraine" (https://www.architektonix.com/model-making/history-of-modeling/). Architekton.
Retrieved 17 March 2021.
18. "Gardening As Hobby? Benefits You Never Thought" (https://add-vodka.com/gardening-as-h
obby-benefits-you-never-thought). PF Simplified. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
19. "Terms of Service | FanFiction" (https://www.fanfiction.net/tos/). www.fanfiction.net. Retrieved
28 August 2020.
20. "Analysis of health and educational benefits of sport and culture" (https://www.gov.uk/govern
ment/publications/analysis-of-health-and-educational-benefits-of-sport-and-culture). gov.uk.
Retrieved 18 August 2015.
21. Carlisle R P Ed, '’Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society Vol 1'’, SAGE Publications, 2009
page x
22. Pillay, Srini (20 June 2017), "How Hobbies Impact Your Head and Your Heart" (https://www.
psychologytoday.com/us/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201706/how-hobbies-impact-your-
head-and-your-heart), Psychology Today
23. Laboratory, Charli Schuler : Jet Propulsion. "NASA - Spotlight: It's Amateur Night in Space"
(https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/neo.html#:~:text=Amateur%20astrono
mers%20have%20been%20very,Alan%20Hale%20and%20Thomas%20Bopp.).
www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
24. "Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier" (https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/antoine-laurent-
lavoisier). Science History Institute. June 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
25. Turner 2014, p. 233.

External links
Learn Hobbies Online (https://thehobbytribe.com)
Hobby (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobby) at Merriam-Webster

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