The Science of Hobbies: Why Making Things May Be Good for Your Brain
By Hobby Foam Supplies | Hobby, creativity & wellbeing
We often think of hobbies as something we do when the "important stuff" is finished.
Work comes first. Chores come first. Family comes first. The endless list of things that need doing comes first.
And then, if there's any time left, we get to build something, paint something, make something, collect something, garden, model, draw, craft or simply immerse ourselves in an activity we enjoy.
But there is an interesting question behind all of this:
Could hobbies actually be doing something important for our brains and mental wellbeing?
Increasingly, research suggests that regular engagement in enjoyable, mentally stimulating activities is associated with better mental wellbeing and cognitive health — particularly as we get older. The evidence isn't saying that a hobby is a magic shield against stress, depression or dementia. But it does suggest that having meaningful activities in our lives may be considerably more valuable than we sometimes realise.
1. A hobby gives your brain something to do
One of the simplest benefits of a hobby is also one of the most interesting.
When you're building a model, designing a miniature landscape, painting, solving a puzzle or learning a new technique, your brain isn't simply sitting there passively.
You're making decisions.
Which piece goes where?
How should this be shaped?
What colour should I use?
Why isn't this fitting?
What should I try next?
These seemingly small decisions require attention, planning, visual processing, memory and problem-solving.
A 2019 systematic review examined 20 intervention studies involving cognitive leisure activities such as arts, writing, board games, reading, handicrafts and learning computer skills. Thirteen of the 20 studies reported improvements in at least one cognitive domain, although the researchers also noted that the evidence base was relatively small and that more high-quality research was needed.
That's an important distinction.
It doesn't mean "crafting makes you smarter."
It suggests that regularly engaging the brain in mentally stimulating activities may help maintain or exercise aspects of cognitive function.
2. Hobbies may help build "cognitive reserve"
There's another fascinating concept in brain research called cognitive reserve.
Think of it loosely as the brain's ability to continue functioning despite age-related changes or other forms of brain stress.
Researchers have investigated whether intellectually and socially stimulating activities throughout life may contribute to this reserve.
A systematic review examining lifestyle factors and cognitive reserve concluded that physical and cognitive leisure activities may contribute to cognitive reserve and potentially reduce the impact of brain changes on cognition.
This is one reason activities that require you to learn, adapt and solve problems are particularly interesting.
And hobbies don't have to be academically challenging.
Learning how to construct a miniature building can involve:
- spatial reasoning
- measuring
- sequencing
- planning
- fine motor control
- problem-solving
- visualisation
- concentration
- learning from mistakes
Your brain doesn't particularly care whether you're solving a university-level equation or figuring out why the roof of your miniature castle won't sit properly.
It's still solving a problem.
3. The "flow" of getting completely absorbed
There's another reason hobbies can feel so different from ordinary daily tasks.
Sometimes you become completely absorbed in what you're doing.
An hour seems to disappear.
You're concentrating on the thing in front of you rather than thinking about emails, bills, deadlines or tomorrow's schedule.
This type of deep involvement is often associated with what psychologists call flow, a state of intense concentration and involvement in an activity.
Not every hobby produces flow, and you certainly don't need to achieve flow for a hobby to be worthwhile.
But activities involving an appropriate level of challenge can give the brain something particularly useful:
focused attention on the present moment.
That can be very different from scrolling through a phone, where attention may constantly jump from one piece of information to another.
A hobby asks you to stay with something.
4. Hobbies and mental wellbeing
The relationship between hobbies and mental wellbeing has also been investigated on a surprisingly large scale.
A 2023 study published in Nature Medicine examined hobby engagement among 93,263 people aged 65 and over across 16 countries.
The researchers found that having a hobby was associated with:
- fewer depressive symptoms
- greater self-reported happiness
- greater life satisfaction
- better self-reported health
Importantly, these findings were consistent across the countries studied.
That doesn't prove that hobbies cause better mental health.
It's possible that people who feel healthier and happier are also more likely to participate in hobbies.
But the longitudinal evidence makes the relationship interesting enough to warrant further research.
And perhaps this makes intuitive sense.
A hobby can give you something that work and household responsibilities sometimes don't:
something you do simply because you want to.
5. Making things may have its own benefits
There is something particularly interesting about hands-on hobbies.
Building, modelling, painting, drawing, sewing, woodworking, gardening and crafting combine mental activity with physical interaction.
You're not just thinking about an object.
You're making it exist.
A 2025 systematic review looked specifically at crafts-based interventions for mental health and wellbeing. It identified 19 studies involving different craft activities and found enough evidence to justify further investigation, while also highlighting substantial differences between the studies and the need for better-quality research.
So we shouldn't claim that crafts are a treatment for mental illness.
But there is growing scientific interest in the relationship between making things and wellbeing.
6. Hobbies may also keep us socially connected
Not every hobby is solitary.
Think about:
Model-making clubs.
Painting groups.
Gardening clubs.
Board-game nights.
Craft groups.
Scale modelling communities.
Online hobby forums.
A hobby can become a reason to interact with other people.
And that matters because social engagement is itself associated with cognitive and health outcomes.
A large meta-analysis of 38 longitudinal studies involving more than 2.15 million participants found that physical, cognitive and social leisure activities were each associated with lower incidence of all-cause dementia. The authors were studying associations rather than proving that leisure activities directly prevent dementia.
In other words, the interesting thing about a hobby may not be just what you're doing.
It can also be who you're doing it with.
7. The brain likes learning new things
One of the recurring themes in the research is novelty and intellectual stimulation.
Learning something you've never done before requires your brain to adapt.
Perhaps today you're learning how to cut foam accurately.
Next week you're figuring out how to create convincing stonework.
Then you're experimenting with paint, texture, lighting or scenery.
You're constantly making small adjustments.
That's a very different experience from doing something automatically.
Research examining cognitive leisure activities has found associations between mentally stimulating activities and measures including memory, processing speed and executive functioning.
The takeaway isn't that every hobby needs to become a brain-training exercise.
Quite the opposite.
Enjoyment matters.
A hobby that you genuinely want to return to is probably more useful than an activity you force yourself to do because you think it's "good for your brain."
8. And this is where hobbies become interesting as we get older
There's a tendency to think of childhood hobbies as something we eventually outgrow.
We stop building things.
We stop drawing.
We stop making models.
We stop playing games.
We stop collecting things.
We get jobs.
Then life gets busy.
But research into hobbies and cognitive health suggests there may be good reasons not to abandon mentally and socially engaging activities as we age.
A review of research on hobbies and cognitive health found that studies have investigated many different categories, including intellectual, cultural, social, gardening, travelling and physical hobbies. However, the researchers also highlighted inconsistencies in the evidence and important limitations in how hobbies have been studied.
That's actually a reassuring conclusion.
Science isn't saying:
"Do this one hobby and you'll prevent dementia."
It's saying something much more sensible:
Maintaining an active, engaged life appears to be associated with better cognitive and psychological outcomes, and hobbies are one way of achieving that.
So... what makes a "good" hobby?
There probably isn't one perfect hobby.
The best hobby is likely one that makes you want to come back tomorrow.
It might involve:
🧠 Thinking
Puzzles, modelling, strategy games, learning, collecting, designing.
🎨 Creating
Painting, drawing, sculpting, crafting, miniature building.
👐 Making
Woodworking, model making, DIY, sewing, construction.
🌱 Connecting with nature
Gardening, photography, walking, birdwatching.
👥 Connecting with people
Clubs, classes, group projects and hobby communities.
📚 Learning
Languages, history, music, electronics, cooking or virtually anything you're curious about.
And there's no reason a hobby can't involve several of these simultaneously.
The humble hobby might be more important than we think
Perhaps the biggest mistake we make is thinking of hobbies as time wasted.
A hobby may actually represent time spent doing something remarkably human:
learning, creating, concentrating, experimenting, solving problems and enjoying the process.
You don't need to be productive.
You don't need to monetise it.
You don't need to become an expert.
You don't even need to finish the project.
Sometimes the value is simply in sitting down for an hour and making something with your hands.
And if that happens to give your brain a little exercise, your attention a break from everyday demands, and your day something to look forward to...
that's a pretty good use of an hour.
At Hobby Foam Supplies, we believe in making things
Whether you're building a school project, creating a miniature landscape, constructing terrain, experimenting with model-making or simply making something because you can, the hobby itself is part of the fun.
And perhaps, as the research increasingly suggests, that time spent creating isn't just enjoyable.
It may be good for you, too.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Research into hobbies, mental wellbeing and cognitive health is ongoing, and associations found in observational studies do not necessarily prove cause and effect.
The research behind this article
Akbayrak E, Powell PA, Tunc N, Barnes S. (2024). The Relationship Between Subjective Cognitive Decline and Cognitive Leisure Activity Engagement: A Systematic Review. The Gerontologist.
Iizuka A, et al. (2019). Can cognitive leisure activity prevent cognitive decline in older adults? A systematic review of intervention studies. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 19(6), 469–482.
Mak HW, Noguchi T, Bone JK, Wels J, et al. (2023). Hobby engagement and mental wellbeing among people aged 65 years and older in 16 countries. Nature Medicine.
Zhang Y, et al. (2022). Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Chan KY, et al. (2016). Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Gonzalez-Fernandez M, et al. (2025). The effects of crafts-based interventions on mental health and well-being: A systematic review.
