Learning to play the guitar later in life can be better for your health than you might realize. (© Marina Demidiuk - stock.adobe.com)
Study Shows Your Approach to Hobbies Matters More Than the Hobby Itself
In A Nutshell
- Age matters for emotional benefits: A 5-week study found that learning to pursue hobbies more intentionally (through goal-setting, continuous learning, and building connections) boosted emotional well-being only for workers around age 60 and older; younger adults saw little to no benefit.
- Work creativity improved at all ages: Regardless of age, participants who learned “leisure crafting” techniques showed increased creativity and greater sense of meaning at work, suggesting hobbies can enhance professional performance.
- It’s about how you hobby, not what: The type of activity mattered less than the approach. Whether sports, creative pursuits, or intellectual activities, those who set goals, pursued learning, and built connections saw the most benefits.
- Older adults showed opposite patterns: While older adults in the training group experienced steadily improving well-being over five weeks, older adults in the control group showed declining emotional health during the same period.
A new study reveals an unexpected wrinkle in the science of happiness: learning to pursue hobbies in a more meaningful way significantly improves emotional well-being, but only for people around age 60 and older. Most younger adults who received the same training saw no such benefits.
Scientists at Erasmus University Rotterdam gave working adults a short training on “leisure crafting,” an intentional approach to hobbies focused on setting goals, continuous learning, and building connections with others. Over five weeks, the results split dramatically by age. Workers under 60 experienced little to no change in emotional well-being. But for those in their early 60s and older, the intervention produced steady increases in positive emotions like enthusiasm, inspiration, and contentment.
Older participants in the control group showed declining well-being over the study period, while those who learned leisure crafting techniques experienced the opposite: steadily improving emotional health week after week.
What Makes Leisure Crafting Different From Regular Hobbies
Leisure crafting goes beyond casual hobbies. Consider two people attending the same weekly choir class. One shows up, enjoys singing with the group, and heads home without additional thought. The other actively seeks challenging songs to master, occasionally takes private lessons to improve, connects deeply with fellow choir members, and envisions someday leading a choir. Both have a hobby, but only the second person demonstrates leisure crafting.
The concept rests on three elements: setting autonomous goals within activities, focusing on continuous learning and skill development, and building meaningful connections with like-minded individuals.
Researchers tested this idea with 462 workers in the Netherlands. Half watched a short video about leisure crafting and spent five weeks applying the techniques to their hobbies. The other half just completed weekly surveys without any training. Participants ranged from age 24 to 69. Most chose sports activities (58%), followed by creative pursuits like art or music (18%), intellectual activities (8%), and social activities (5%).
The Turning Point in Early 60s
When researchers analyzed the results, one pattern stood out: emotional well-being responded to the intervention in completely opposite ways depending on age.
Most younger participants showed little change either way. Some of the youngest workers in the intervention group experienced slight decreases in positive emotions over the five weeks, while some younger participants in the control group actually showed natural increases in well-being during the same period.
The pattern was dramatically different for the oldest participants. Adults in their early 60s and older who learned leisure crafting experienced steadily increasing well-being throughout the five weeks. They reported more enthusiasm, inspiration, and positive emotions as they applied the principles to their hobbies. Meanwhile, older participants in the control group showed declining well-being over the same period.
The benefit appeared mainly for people above about age 60 in this study. Think of that as a rough line in this particular group, not a universal rule that applies to everyone.
Why Leisure Crafting May Work Better for Older Adults
One likely explanation comes down to how people’s priorities shift with age. Younger adults often focus on expanding their social networks, accumulating new experiences, and maximizing future opportunities. For someone juggling career advancement and family obligations, a structured approach to hobbies might feel like turning fun into homework.
Older adults may make different calculations. Recognizing that time is finite, they often become more selective about how they spend it. They might favor emotionally meaningful experiences and deeper social connections over superficial ones. Leisure crafting could fit these priorities better. It teaches people to pursue hobbies with intention, set meaningful goals, and build quality relationships with like-minded individuals.
Physical activity may also play a role. More than half of participants chose sports activities. For older adults facing health concerns, deliberately crafted physical activities might help them maintain vitality and independence, which could protect emotional well-being.
Older employees may be dealing with declining health, changing family structures, or approaching retirement. Leisure crafting might help build optimism and resilience that people need to adapt to these transitions. When older adults learn to set meaningful goals and form deep connections through hobbies, they may be actively protecting their emotional health.
Unexpected Benefits at Work
Beyond the age-specific well-being effects, the intervention produced benefits for all ages at work. Participants who learned leisure crafting showed greater increases in employee creativity and meaning at work.
Creativity at work increased among those who learned the techniques. A choir singer might discover a new song during practice and use it to inspire an advertising campaign. A weekend cyclist might learn problem-solving skills on challenging trails that translate to innovative solutions at the office. The transfer from leisure to work appeared consistent whether participants were in their 30s or their 60s.
Participants also reported greater meaning at work. They viewed their jobs as contributing more to their personal growth and felt increased purposefulness in their daily tasks. When people learn to craft meaningful experiences during leisure time, they may apply similar thinking to their work, redefining not just who they are as individuals but also why their work matters.
Led by researcher Paraskevas Petrou, the study noted that simply having a hobby wasn’t enough. Those who reported putting genuine effort into applying leisure crafting principles showed the clearest benefits.
Free Time Matters In Old Age
Workers nearing retirement who want emotional benefits should consider being more intentional about their hobbies. Set clear goals, actively pursue skill development, and form meaningful connections with others who share your interests.
For companies, the research suggests leisure crafting interventions could be valuable as workers transition toward retirement. Rather than focusing exclusively on work-related development programs for senior employees, organizations might support them in cultivating meaningful leisure pursuits. Some practical steps: make hobbies eligible for professional development funds, acknowledge leisure-time commitments alongside family responsibilities, or offer workshops teaching leisure crafting principles for older workers preparing for retirement.
The bottom line: as people approach their 60s, how they spend their free time may become increasingly important for maintaining emotional health.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a single peer-reviewed study published. The age-60 threshold identified in this research should be considered a pattern observed in this particular group, not a definitive rule. Readers should not make major life or health decisions based solely on this article. Anyone experiencing concerns about emotional well-being should consult with a qualified healthcare professional or mental health provider.
Paper Notes
Limitations
The five-week intervention period may have been too brief for some outcomes to fully develop. Longer studies could reveal delayed benefits not captured in this timeframe.
Researchers measured sense of community with a single survey item rather than a detailed scale, which may have limited their ability to detect changes.
The study measured all outcomes simultaneously, preventing researchers from testing whether certain factors mediated the observed effects. Future research could better understand the mechanisms by measuring potential mediators before final outcomes.
Age may have been confounded with other factors like employment status or the relative importance people place on different life domains. The age-60 threshold finding warrants replication to confirm whether this represents a genuine developmental transition point.
The study did not measure job performance directly, making it unclear whether the creativity and meaning benefits translated to actual performance improvements.
More than half of participants chose sports activities, which may have influenced results, particularly for older adults, since physical activity protects well-being as people age.
Funding and Disclosures
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article. The researchers followed Human Relations’ artificial intelligence policy and did not use AI tools for manuscript preparation. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Publication Details
Authors: Paraskevas Petrou (Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands), Laura Den Dulk (Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands), George Michaelides (University of East Anglia, UK)
Journal: Human Relations | Article Title: “The leisure crafting intervention: Effects on work and non-work outcomes and the moderating role of age” | Publication Date: Published online January 16, 2026 | DOI: 10.1177/00187267251407641
Study Design: Five-week randomized controlled trial with 462 working adults in the Netherlands (196 in intervention group, 266 in control group). Participants completed baseline surveys followed by four weekly surveys measuring leisure crafting, emotional well-being, work creativity, meaning at work, and other outcomes.
Participant Demographics: Average age 47 years (range 24-69), working at least 3 days per week, 56% female overall. Participants came from diverse occupational sectors including healthcare (23%), education (17%), government (10%), and various other industries.
Correspondence: Paraskevas Petrou, Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burg. Oudlaan 50, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Email: [email protected]
