Is it normal to have no hobbies?
People always ask what my hobbies are or tell me its easy to meet people if they have similar hobbies but I don't really have any that I take seriously.
There are things I do sometimes for fun like making artwork or trying to make music but it's so irregular (we're talking gaps of months and years between doing anything) that I wouldn't claim it as a hobby. My full time hobby is probably drinking beer.
I used to build a lot of computers and stuff, I was always buying components and I still have boxes and boxes of that junk in my house so that must have been a hobby, but now I keep that kind of stuff to a minimum and see it more as a chore. Nothing really took over.
On a given weekend or this nice long weekend we have, I'm just killing time.
I don't want to drink everyday but I probably will, I'll probably also go for walks alone in my local area, do some light exercise, buy food, eat it, and any time I have left over after that (which will be hours and hours) will be wasted on youtube or sites like this, maybe playing some Call of Duty online, and spending way too much time in bed. That's pretty much my life in a nutshell and none of those things stand out as a hobby.
Do I have to get a hobby in order to "deserve" a friend or some kind of companionship? Would it really be for my benefit or for the benefit of others to make me socially acceptable? Does anyone else not have any hobbies?
auntblabby
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Posts: 115,295
Location: the island of defective toy santas
I did as you described [sans alcohol] for decades and I basically was akin to land which lies fallow for a long time- my mind became a best place for weeds [chaotically unproductive thought patterns] and little else. my brain became as flabby as all get out. I am still trying to exit from this, and it is hard work which I would not have had to go through if I had kept some self-discipline when young. a hobby helps to channel one's energies and in maintaining mental hygiene/orderliness of one's thinking processes.
I don’t really have any hobbies. I haven’t had one for years. Instead, I have interests. My 3 current interests are:
– learning more about Aspergers/autism/psychology (by visiting WP, reading books, etc.)
- learning more about software development processes
- learning about financial systems (by reading newspapers, surfing internet)
There are a couple of other activities I like to do (exercise, walking dog). But that’s about it. I do other things, of course (like yard work, dishes, laundry, etc.). But those are chores.
When I was young, I had numerous hobbies. I liked playing with electronic sets. I liked building models (though, I wasn’t very good, I was quite messy). I liked building and launching rockets. But now, nothing.
I wished I had a hobby. But, nothing really entices me.
I saw an interesting post <click> on WP entitled "The Difference between Special Interests and Normal Hobbies". The author writes:
1) slow build of vague interest leading up to a sudden emotional reaction
2) emotional reaction turns into complete obsession with the subject
3) intense desire to learn/understand everything possible about it
4) wake up thinking about it, think about it during the day, trouble sleeping because I am still thinking about it
5) pursuing my interest is more like research/ I feel like I need to read about it from every angle
6) when I feel like I have learned everything I need to know, my interest in the subject fades away
7) generalized depression, apathy, and lost feeling when I have no special interest/ having a special interest means that my life is centered
It describes me quite well.
I too am curious if not having a hobby is common for people on the spectrum.
I hate the word hobby, I find it patronising. Hobbies are basically just doing stuff. Some people like doing the same stuff over and over to the extent that they get to call it a hobby, which is just another word for something they do. But it has a slightly derogatory tone, like it is something we do that is totally useless. I like walking my dog but I doubt it could be described as a hobby, probably because it is something I have to do. I play music which could be seen as a frivolous activity so maybe that could be called a hobby. But to me that is an essential activity too.
Basically when people go on about finding a hobby it is just a shared interest with others so you get to meet new people. If you are interested in the activity and not just going to meet people then you are more likely to stick it out, but that doesn't mean you can only have friends with the same interests. A lot of the people I have become close with over the years share the same sense of humour with me, but we may have different 'hobbies'.
So if a lot of your hobbies are insular and don't involve other people then it might be hard to meet friends, but really, if you put me in a room with people with similar interests it'd be too much like organised fun and my idea of hell. Maybe it is best to meet friends online if you spend a lot of your time there...? x
Sweetleaf
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Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
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Location: Somewhere in Colorado
No, you're certainly not required to have hobbies in order to socialise with other people. There are many people who don't have any 'proper' hobbies, and who spend their off-time kind of just chilling out, doing nothing in particular, but still having a good time of it.
I used to have no hobbies for a while in my life, around 2005-2009. Whenever someone would ask me, 'What are your hobbies?', I didn't know what to say, and I felt bad about it, as if I were somehow incomplete. At that point, I also didn't socialize. I attempted to pick up my older hobbies, in part to meet other people, but it turned out that it wasn't even that easy to connect to other people based simply on a shared interest or hobby.
So hobbies don't bear that great of an impact on how well you'll get along with others. It helps to have a shared interest, but you shouldn't see a hobby as a 'requirement' for finding yourself a social circle. Having no hobbies is perfectly acceptable.
After my hobby-less period, I went through a time when I was very much opposed to the very word (and concept of) 'hobby'.
_________________
clarity of thought before rashness of action
I do have some hobbies and they include playing the piano, listening to piano covers, and playing video games. Outside of that, I don't really have that much. To answer your question, I don't know many people (personally) that don't have hobbies, but I suppose it is possible if they don't really do much or have many things in life that they enjoy doing.
To me, this is the essence of a hobby. It seems as if the hobbies you choose to engage in become part of your social identity. Interestingly, my mom (who is quite sociable), oftentimes describes people in terms what they do (e.g., their line of work, the hobbies they have, etc).
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