“Cool girls have hobbies.” Or so the internet is saying. Ironic, considering social media and scrolling may be the very thing inhibiting our pursuit of self-enriching fun. But seriously, we could all use a hobby. Our downtime can’t exist of scrolling, we’re more interesting than that, and we can’t let our phone addictions tell us otherwise. 

The Death of Our Attention Span

The rise of social media and a shifting preference towards short form content has raised concerns regarding shortened attention spans, particularly amongst the Gen Z cohort. A 2024 study from researchers at the University of Taiwan found an association between short form content consumption and a decreased sustained attention span. Another 2024 study corroborated these findings and went even further to suggest participants who reported having consumed more short form media performed worse on an attention measure. All of this is to say that it seems the shorter the content, the shorter our attention span and the greater the need for quick satisfaction and entertainment. 

Flow State

This is an unfulfilling way to spend our time. Time that we as Zillennials working in fast-paced environments, living demanding lives saturated in overstimulation, should cherish. Doing so requires engagement, a sense of overwhelming presence and immersion that makes the passage of time feel irrelevant. It’s what’s known as reaching a flow state, a focus so intense, everything melts into the background. The father of flow, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, claims reaching “flow” is a method that unlocks the full potential of our skillset. That when we are truly immersed in the activity at hand, our performance is optimal. Csíkszentmihályi also writes that flow state may bring us closer to flourishing, another psychological concept particularly relevant to the study of positive psychology, or essentially the optimization of the human experience. So when it comes to our free time, scrolling with a dead pan stare for hours may be the biggest disservice we can be doing for ourselves and our well-being. 

The ‘Five Hobby Theory’ 

Alongside the growing recognition of the importance of a hobby comes a basic framework for the most effective implementation; the Five Hobby Theory. Unclear of its origins, the theory outlines five categories a hobby may fall into, and advocates that to be a well-rounded, self-disciplined individual, having a hobby in each of the categories is key. 

First is the hobby that generates a profit. The money-making hobby. Selling used clothes and household items via online market places. Providing services that align with your interests, like lawncare or pet sitting. I’d even argue gambling and sports betting could be a profitable hobby, that is, of course, if done responsibly. 

Second are hobbies that promote physical health. Yoga. Pilates. Going to the gym. Running. Swimming. This category is vast in its diversity and intensity. Activities could range from recreational sport to hardcore training regiments, like Iron Man or marathon preparation. As long as it’s a hobby that requires some level of physicality, it’s included in this category. 

Next are hobbies that foster creativity. This one’s also relatively easy to think of examples for. Any sort of physical art or craft. Practicing a musical instrument. Writing poetry or prose. Photography. Cooking. Not unlike the physical movement hobbies, these activities can range in intensity and skill-level, whether that be learning origami from video tutorials or diving into a colossal oil painting, the required ability drastically varies across difficulty. 

The fourth category is any hobby that deepens understanding. Learning a new skill, like a language, recipe, sport, the list goes on. This category could easily intercept with the previously mentioned categories depending on skill level. Essentially, it promotes the idea of trying something new. Whether it becomes a particular passion for you is something to discover down the road. The final category is at the intersection of the other four categories and includes any activity that fosters personal growth. Think activities that promote a sense of introspection. Meditation, journaling, or reading nonfiction, all of which create a sense of self-awareness and mental presence. Many of the aforementioned hobbies could simultaneously promote personal growth. Arguably, the very idea of a hobby and one’s dedication to it is personal growth, is it not? So I think it’s fair to say that all hobbies belong in this category. 

Why We Should Really Have Hobbies

The five hobby theory provides a clear framework for useful ways we should be spending our time by investing in ourselves, whether that’s mentally, spiritually, physically, the list goes on. But I think having a hobby is simpler than that. It’s not necessarily a goal to meet or level to achieve, though that can be true for hobbies that require advanced skill sets. Having a hobby is to engage in an activity for the sake of the activity alone. Creating criteria for a hobby to be productive, or establishing aspects of the human experience that a hobby must appease, negates this idea that a hobby should be done for the pure act itself. Because ultimately, to reap the benefits of a hobby, whether that be relaxation, skill building, or personal enhancement, reaching that “flow” is key. That’s when you can truly experience an immersion that quiets everything else around. That’s when the hobby establishes its place in your life as one of importance, something worth the dedication of time and resources. And that’s when we begin to forget the urge to scroll and understand why having a hobby really is “cool”.