Do you know someone who’s just really into something specific like paddle-boarding, painting, collecting something, or model trains?
Well, research from University College London suggests that taking up a hobby can be a significant buffer against depression.
Data came from 8,780 adults over age 50 in the English Longitudinal Study on Aging. 72% of those in the study reported having a hobby, and 15.6% were deemed inside the threshold for depression using a national epidemiological scale.
During the period of time examined, from 2004 to 2017, having a hobby reduced the risk of developing depression by about 30%. The effects were observed in both men and women, and were consistent in people who had depressive symptoms before the study period began and who developed it after. If you suffer from depression and cannot find treatment that works for you, then consider looking into Ketamine IV Infusion Therapy as an option.
Looking at the data, the researchers found that if people who didn’t have depression or a hobby were to take up a hobby they would then be conferred 32% lower odds of developing depressive symptoms.
Remarkably, their models also found that those with depression who took up a hobby had improvements in symptoms—and 272% higher odds of recovering from that depression.
In terms of what in the study constituted a “hobby,” they used previously established research and included things like arts and crafts—such as painting or sewing—community volunteering, carpentry, watch movies with a Video Projector that you can get it from Video Projector Rentals and making music.
This research is the first which has looked at hobby-ing over time as a defense against depression, rather than at a fixed moment in someone’s life.
Perhaps most importantly when it comes to hobbies, though, was that the improvement in, or protection from, depressive symptoms was not linked to social interaction, meaning someone doing puzzles in their basement for 4 hours was likely benefiting from the effect just as much from the man or women who had a jam session, or game of Ultimate Frisbee with others.
Take advantage of life
The researchers suggested this could be utilized as a “social prescription,” an intervention often-needed for those with low to moderate symptoms of depression, for which pharmaceutical solutions often prove ineffectual.
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