PARIS, Oct 17 — Living a happy life means keeping busy! Hobbies and pastimes are one of the keys to a happy and healthy old age, according to a study of people aged 65 and over in 16 countries.

Not only do hobbies help reduce depressive symptoms, but they are also linked to an increase in happiness and life satisfaction, scientists report.

A study led by researchers at the UK’s University College London (UCL) has found that hobbies such as gardening, reading, art and playing games can help combat age-related declines in mental health and happiness.

And that’s not all, since hobbies contribute to the fulfilment of older people, as well as to their (self-reported) good health and life satisfaction.

These kinds of simple, accessible pleasures could potentially help improve the mental health of over a billion people worldwide.

To come to these conclusions, the researchers focused on studying the influence of hobbies on the physical and mental health of people aged 65 and over.

More than 93,000 individuals who participated in five longitudinal studies in England, Japan, the USA, China and 12 European countries were included in the research, and their data was analysed over a period of four to eight years.

It should be noted that the studies carried out in England, Japan and the USA asked participants about their hobbies, without the term being precisely defined, whereas participants in the studies in Europe and China were asked about a specific list of hobbies.

Keep busy to stay happy

Published in the journal Nature Medicine, this research reports that having a hobby — defined as an activity practiced in your free time (volunteering, book club, gardening, games, art, etc.) — is associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in levels of happiness and life satisfaction.

According to the study, these hobbies are also linked to higher levels of "self-reported health.” However, the researchers caution that their findings suggest that "there might be a causal effect, although as an observational study it could not prove causality.”

"Our study shows the potential of hobbies to protect older people from age-related decline in mental health and wellbeing. This potential is consistent across many countries and cultural settings,” said lead author, Dr Karen Mak (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care), in a statement.

"Of the [study] outcomes, life satisfaction was most strongly linked to hobby engagement. Hobbies may contribute to life satisfaction in our later years through many mechanisms, including feeling in control of our minds and bodies, finding a purpose in life, and feeling competent in tackling daily issues.”

Hobbies and happiness

While these observations were made in all the countries studied, not all populations view hobbies in the same way.

The researchers note, for example, that just over half of Spanish and Italian participants reported having a hobby (51 per cent and 54 per cent respectively), compared with 96 per cent in Denmark, 95.8 per cent in Sweden, and 94.4 per cent in Switzerland.

"In countries with better life expectancy and national happiness levels, more people reported having a hobby, and also the link between well-being and having a hobby was stronger in those countries,” the study news release reads.

These findings could lead to new strategies to promote certain hobbies among older people.

"Theoretical work suggests the relationship between hobbies and well-being may cut both ways — that people with better mental health may be more likely to take up a hobby, and persisting with a hobby may help us to retain improved life satisfaction. Our research also supports policymakers in promoting access to hobbies among older people as a way to enhance their well-being and health,” concludes Dr Karen Mak. — ETX Studio