Imagine sitting around all day staring at the same old cave walls, watching the same old fire pit. That kind of lethargy sure didn’t put meat on table-stumps or furry pelts on cold shoulders. Our human ancestors had to plan, had to act, had to move to take care of themselves. As such, they developed brains that were very much action-reward focused. They had to hunt, they had to forage and gather, they had to fetch firewood and water, they had to tan hides and weave reeds. A brain developed that showed rewards, but not just the apparent rewards of warmth, food, and clothing. The brain developed a feeling – satisfaction.
In today’s push button world, we don’t get a lot of that special feeling we call satisfaction. Is there a correlation to our “electronic evolution” and the alarming increase in depression we’ve seen over the past few decades within our societies? Social scientists seem to think so.
Do you know having a hobby is good for your brain?
While intricate or tricky physical movement is a large part of the action-reward process, it needs to be accompanied by equally intricate or tricky thought processes. For instance, the do-it-yourself American-Amish folks suffer far fewer instances of clinical depression than those of us living outside of their community. Of course, they do build their own houses and do tend their own farms; and they use those activities as an extension of their social lives. They have barn-raisings and crop harvesting activities as social events. Sociability is an important part of the action-reward benefit they get in their lives.
The goal is to keep our minds active, stimulated so we can enjoy all of our cognitive functions, especially as we age.
Thus – Hobbies. Many folks have an unhealthy opinion of hobbies. Some folks roll their eyes when they hear of scrap-booking or stamp collecting activities. Model railroading may be seen as a waste of time and money. They might agree that gardening or knitting could be alright since there are apparent goods produced, canned vegetables and warm sweaters, that offer some good beyond the hobby itself.
The goal is to keep our minds active, stimulated so we can enjoy all of our cognitive functions, especially as we age. And that doesn’t mean we’re restricted to crosswords, Sudoku, or brain teasers. Any hobbies that offer us new ways to look at the world, that require agile movements, that challenge our brain power with multi-dimensional thought, are helpful to our health and well-being and are worth pursuing for that reason alone.
Here are a few hobbies that may wrinkle some noses with a sneer, but pay no attention to those who scoff. The benefits you can receive from each are great:
Golf. Outdoors in fresh air, sunshine – physical activity – sociability – hand/eye coordination – depth perception – intricacies of the game – challenging new courses.
Juggling. Physical dexterity – depth perception – coordination – balance – complex hand-eye coordination – entertain kids – volunteer for entertainment at senior centers – social.
Origami. Involves patterns – learn entire new language of folds, symbols, patterns – requires manual dexterity, hand/eye coordination – develop eye for shapes, spatial relationships – way to be with kids.
Gardening. Good for the brain – outdoors in the sunshine (insomnia, stress, depression, vitamin D production) – adjustable physical active – raise brain-healthy fruits and vegetables – community gardens as social activity – always learning.
Card Games. Traditional past-time – excellent brain exercise – challenge working memory – mathematical skills – high levels of sociability – requires sharpening people-reading skills – subconscious calculations of risks, odds.
And those mentioned above are only the tip of the proverbial ice-berg. There are millions of activities that can be described as hobbies. You’re limited only by your imagination. So, while a lot of the old-fashioned sources of satisfaction are being slowly taken away as our civilization and our societies evolve, we must exert ourselves in other ways to keep our brains in balance, to stave off depression. While some of these activities may be poo-poohed, as along as they meet some of the requirements outlined at the beginning of this article, they are worth going after. You’re brain will thank you with a pleasant outlook on life, a life that rewards you with that sometimes elusive element we call “satisfaction.”
Photo by Chispita_666
