Looking For A New Hobby? Here's A Master List Of 170+ Hobbies To Try Out Yourself

A "hobby" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure," so what that looks like for you might be totally different from the next person, and that's OK! What counts is that your hobby is fun, enriching, or somehow beneficial for you.

And whether it's gardening, crafting, or playing an instrument, hobbies become even more important as we get older. One recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine1 even found that having a hobby is linked with not only fewer depressive symptoms in people 65 and up but also higher levels of happiness, self-reported health, and life satisfaction.

No matter your age, though, according to licensed therapist Lair Torrent, LMFT, we all have a "growing edge" to cultivate—aka some area of our lives where there's an opportunity to improve. Torrent says figuring out a hobby that aligns with your growing edge can help you focus on yourself and find more joy in your life.

To discover your next hobby, refer to a list such as the one found in this article, and narrow down a few that call to you based on your interests. Try out different hobbies until you find one that you like doing and fits into your life seamlessly.