People With No Hobbies

[Dynaknights]

What do you all think of people who say they have no hobbies?
...Like, at all whatsoever? Hell, you can include people who say they lack interests here, too.

There's certainly the argument for a lack of time, energy, and/or money for people to invest into a hobby along with how quite a few of them have effectively become luxuries with how expensive they are to partake in. I wonder if the same applies those lacking interests as a whole or if it's just apathy.

Anyway, what about people with time, energy, and money at their disposal but just... don't want to spend it on leisure? How would life look for one who doesn't engage in anything they find fun because they want it that way?
I remember as a kid, I was never interested in anything outside of what I was immediately interested in at the time because I held a personal vendetta against going outside my comfort zone, which was a habit I very, very slowly unlearned over the course of years. I hated asking for things to the point where I stopped wanting things at all -- I was a little like a robot. I kind of just let people layer their hobbies onto me, allowing them to mold me like clay.
I guess that's why I find my own childhood to be blander than others, but maybe some people enjoy that?

[CosmicRot]

I think almost everyone who says they have no hobbies are just completely misconstruing what a hobby even is..
Like watching tv/movies/media, listening to music, reading, exercise, listening to podcasts, art, mending clothes, farming, gardening.... Like it's literally just doing something/an activity for enjoyment, wikipedia and multiple dictionary websites list examples liike sports, collecting themed items and objects, fashion/styling, doing makeup, video games, and like a TON of other stuff, right???
So it's like... unless someone ONLY works and does NOTHING else outside of it besides like scrolling social media [which could TECHNICALLY be considered a hobby if done outright for enjoyment but let's face it a lot of people are NOT doing that for enjoyment] I think everyone ever has at least *one* hobby, even if it's only one. [mild exaggeration, there's probably few and far between people who literally have zero hobbies, I just think the vast majority who say they don't just have a very specific and possibly incorrect understanding of what a hobby is]

'Cause yeah we could also argue that well, there's plenty of things people don't do outright for enjoyment but do for distraction relaxation, their health, etc, so it's unlikely every "leisure" activity is a hobby for everyone person [for example, I don't like exercise, but I try to do it regularly for my health as a disabled person, but I know a few people who love things like yoga or running who may or may not consider them hobbies.]

Anyway, what about people with time, energy, and money at their disposal but just... don't want to spend it on leisure? How would life look for one who doesn't engage in anything they find fun because they want it that way?

Horrible disgusting people [this is a joke]
In all seriousness I find it very sad. Being disabled and unable to work I'm constantly having to avoid and ignore a lot of my hobbies and interests because I don't have the money or energy a huge part of the time. Though if I had the money I'd likely have more energy for it... so I just do whatever I can that doesn't cost a lot of either and is preferably free. I think if people have the time, money, AND energy for leisure, the least they could do is have fun with it, but I understand if instead they just spend their time relaxing [though well, plenty of kinds of relaxing could be considered hobbies as well I think a large amount of people would not consider 'taking a nice bath' a hobby ahaha]


but yeah idk! It's an interesting thing to think about, what other people may like or not like... what hobbies people get into due to masking or trying to make others happy, what people avoid.. I could probably talk about it longer but I fear it'd start getting off topic or get kind of long winded ahaha.

[ainoumi]

i agree with CosmicRot with the notion that i dont think there are very many people out there who don't have ANY hobbies what so ever. most people usually have to do SOMETHING to chill with, whatever that is to them. that said, im also sure there is SOMEONE who genuinely has no interests or hobbies at all.

how do i feel about them? its pretty simple. i probably would feel sad for them, but in the end, its not really any of my business. i cant change their minds on how they go about relaxing, or not. if it works out for someone, then, i guess why not, yknow?

but i guess, say that they wanna change the fact they dont have hobbies... in which case, if they wanted, id be happy to help out or give advice. they just have to say the word.

all in all, anyone can do whatever they want forever. or, NOT do whatever they want. i dunno. im not their mom.

[chilblands]

I think almost everyone who says they have no hobbies are just completely misconstruing what a hobby even is..

I 100% agree! The literal definition of hobby is activity done in leisure for pleasure. I wrote a small post about this. Media consumption can still be a hobby but it may be less pleasurable than... for example reading, learning or conversing with people. People make fun of Redditors for their elitism and vast knowledge of one topic, but it can be a hobby to just learn about a niche topic (albeit niche like water tasting).

Anyways, I am indifferent if people say they don't have a hobby. It's their life. Of course, if someone tell me they don't have a hobby to look for advice, I always tell people to stop scrolling. The time spent mindlessly scrolling on social media or mindless media consumption is time wasted on potentially building a skill or investing in an actual hobby.

people with time, energy, and money at their disposal but just... don't want to spend it on leisure

That is their prerogative. I totally understand because I work as well. Sometimes work just tire me out and I just want a quick dopamine through media consumption. However, that is a boring life. Hobbies can be quick and free like walking, watching nature (I love to just sit near a river and just look at birds) or learn new things. Life can be simple, hobbies can be simple and affordable/free. Check out your local library, there are often free workshops and events. Buy second hand crafting supplies or just talk to people. Good conversation release dopamine! Just do what you enjoy.

edit: misspelling of a word how embarazin

[CosmicRot]

...I am indifferent if people say they don't have a hobby. It's their life. Of course...

That is their provocative [...] Sometimes work just tire me out and I just want a quick dopamine through media consumption. However, that is a boring life.

Exactly why I say I understand if people are just tired and want to relax. Being tired is the same as not having the energy to do said hobbies, and what people do with their own lives are entirely up to them! I just personally find it boring and sad when they do meet all three [energy, time, and money], but if you're lacking even one, it's more than understandable to do whatever is easiest or takes the least energy/money/etc even if it's a bit boring. Nothing sad about conserving energy and trying to survive, just boring and stressful at times.

Check out your local library, there are often free workshops and events. Buy second hand crafting supplies or just talk to people. Good conversation release dopamine! Just do what you enjoy.

I appreciate the upbeat-ness and suggestion and what not, but I live in a rural area and the only free-stuff is strictly kids only [I've asked, the few far between stuff that might not be STRICTLY is very uninteresting cause it's still all aimed towards toddlers to 10 at the oldest]. It's also difficult to get out of my house alone outside of going to the doctors, let alone meet people, and I don't have a job whatsoever so the only stuff I can do more than once every few months at most is digital art. It's not for lack of trying it's solely a lack of resources and difficulty in being disabled.

I have go over this kind of thing 9/10 times I talk about hobbies or interests because just saying "I'm broke/disabled/unable to work" tends to leave a lot of misunderstanding on just how difficult it is being disabled [especially in a rural area] to do stuff unless the person is in a similar situation, so excuse any bleh wording here... But yeah it's kind of super exhausting having to go "Sorry every suggestion you had is not viable/doesn't work for me" cause if you don't explain in detail *why* it won't work, a [still] surprising amount of people act like you're being stubborn and just not trying or looking for a reason to argue.. So I gotta at least explain this much every time cause I don't wanna risk coming off as rude or combative! :')) It stinks cause even just explaining in vague detail or making jokes like "ahaha I'd have to be a masochist to enjoy walking cause it causes me pain" usually has people going "Wow what a bummer" or acting like I'm doing something taboo by talking about being disabled and poor in a neutral or not-positive light 😬 but yeah sadly no dice on any of that, even what is considered "affordable" to others is not to me, and a lot of simple hobbies outside of just watching stuff are often out of grasp due to time or energy even when free.

I will leave it at that as to not risk getting too off topic or veering towards any territory people might consider venting.

To end on a lighter note though! [and an excuse to make this even longer /joke]
My hobbies I CAN do when I have the energy [sadly not as often as I'd like] include:
Drawing [mainly digital],
making music [also digital],
website coding,
writing, [both stories and poetry and stuff]
watching stuff [TV, Movies, Let's plays, etc.],
listening to music,
wandering forums and places like sheezy.art.
Typically lately the only stuff I'm able to do consistently is watch stuff or listen to music. Pain and fatigue has been badd woof.

Stuff I like a lot but can't do as much as I want cause of money and/or energy include:
Playing video games,
Sewing [customizing clothes or plushies though I haven't been able to do either in ages], 
Photography [mostly an energy thing and not having money to go anywhere, taking photos of your backyard gets boring]
Reading [Hard to get down to the library, and reading on a screen gives me a migraine after awhile]

Things I've sadly been priced out of :( or pain is too bad
Swimming [beaches all have paid parking here + cold water hurts my body sometimes... and I can't afford to pay for swimming at a pool anywhere],
Conventions, most if not all paid events so like ren faires and such
Cosplay [way too expensive to buy or make, plus making costs a lot of energy],
Basically any and all forms of "fun" exercising besides swimming [I mostly only really liked dancing and badminton anyway]
Going to arcades
Trying new restaurants


Thanks for the topic and your reply. :>

[Memory]

As everyone else has pointed out, functionally anything can count as a hobby, and a lot of people just don't realise passive activities count as 'hobbies'.

I do think the most passive 'hobby' that I've seen is just daydreaming/ruminating, though, and there are people who only spend their personal time doing that. I technically have other 'hobbies' like writing and drawing but I rarely really do them especially relative to other people who have those hobbies (I probably make one new drawing only every few months at this rate), and I don't particularly enjoy engaging with existing media (TV/books/games/etc.) outside of rare occasions, so I spend a lot of time doing that. In fact, I only really got into making things to supplement my daydreams, so unlike most people in the hobby, I don't really do it for the process of 'making things', I only do it for the product alone.

A more niche thing but in schizoid spaces/communities, there are people for whom daydreaming/ruminating is their only hobby and those people don't do other 'passive' activities like engaging with media much either. I find a lot of people are surprised by the depth of daydreaming/ruminating common among schizoids, and I think even other people who might daydream more than usual might find the idea of lying down in bed for hours on end doing nothing but thinking odd and boring.

[CosmicRot]

I think even other people who might daydream more than usual might find the idea of lying down in bed for hours on end doing nothing but thinking odd and boring.

Oh man if I didn't have aphantasia this would be SO fun for me. As someone with chronic pain sometimes I just have to lay down and do nothing, and it's SO boring cause there is 0 visuals in my head whatsoever and barely any sound or anything.... If I had visuals to go with my thoughts I could spend hours upon hours just daydreaming I think, especially during pain flare ups.. Peak hobby tbh.

[Memory]

Oh man if I didn't have aphantasia this would be SO fun for me. As someone with chronic pain sometimes I just have to lay down and do nothing, and it's SO boring cause there is 0 visuals in my head whatsoever and barely any sound or anything.... If I had visuals to go with my thoughts I could spend hours upon hours just daydreaming I think, especially during pain flare ups.. Peak hobby tbh.

I don't visualise images at all either and I spend most of my time daydreaming/ruminating on things. I just imagine them as actual words instead of pictures. It's probably more effective if it goes hand in hand with also writing as a hobby on the side though, since it makes it easier to envision daydreams in your own 'style' instead of merely narrating a literal sequence of events.

[arcus]

Oh man if I didn't have aphantasia this would be SO fun for me. As someone with chronic pain sometimes I just have to lay down and do nothing, and it's SO boring cause there is 0 visuals in my head whatsoever and barely any sound or anything.... If I had visuals to go with my thoughts I could spend hours upon hours just daydreaming I think, especially during pain flare ups.. Peak hobby tbh.

Becoming phantasic is actually a hobby itself. Might be worth trying.

[ashParadise]

I actually see this a lot in some of the circles I run in... I'm a business owner, and I'd honestly say I'm the odd one out for having a lot of hobbies. So many people I talk to say they don't have or want hobbies, and I honestly think it's because they don't see the point in doing something they can't monetize I've stopped talking about my hobbies with those same people because they always try to pressure me to turn everything I do into a side gig

[rnottelovesowls]

I actually see this a lot in some of the circles I run in... I'm a business owner, and I'd honestly say I'm the odd one out for having a lot of hobbies. So many people I talk to say they don't have or want hobbies, and I honestly think it's because they don't see the point in doing something they can't monetize I've stopped talking about my hobbies with those same people because they always try to pressure me to turn everything I do into a side gig

that is a bit of a problem lately, and tik tok is not helping. "monetizing your hobbies" should be frowned upon, not encouraged. but because it IS encouraged, we have forgotten how to have fun. and there are plenty of ways to have fun that don't involve heavy physical activity. whether it's drawing, singing, watching a movie or playing a game; as long as you're enjoying your limited time on this earth, that's what really counts

but when you look at said hobbies and start thinking "how can i make money from this?" that's when we have a problem

[John]

I know "anything can be considered a hobby", but my personal feeling is that a hobby should be something you [want to] actively engage in. Watching a bunch of select series and being really invested in the lore and the character development might be considered a hobby in my eyes; wasting away in front of the television while doomscrolling on the phone I, personally, wouldn't consider a hobby. And I do care about this, because it applies to people I care about. On the other hand, work, strictly speaking, may not be a hobby, but CAN be a passion that in my eyes legitimately might substitute for hobbies.

So, I don't really get people who say they have no hobbies AND complain about their work. (They may have a shit job that doesn't give them time and/or resources to pursue their hobbies, but there should at least be something their INTERESTED in?)

Slightly relevant anecdote:
At the parents teachers conference at my kid's childcare everyone was to say a few words about themselves. I listed all my passions and interests, like reading and writing and drawing and gaming and playing music ... then it was the next father's turn and he said something like "Well, nothing really besides my child" and made it sound like I did all these things INSTEAD of spending time with my child. Of course I also have to care for my child all day, but I just include her in everything I'd do anyway.

[Memory]

So, I don't really get people who say they have no hobbies AND complain about their work. (They may have a shit job that doesn't give them time and/or resources to pursue their hobbies, but there should at least be something their INTERESTED in?)

I imagine that people who are busy enough may not even have the time to really invest in anything I particular to develop an understanding of what they like, so in their free time they either hop from thing to thing to 'experiment' but end up not sticking with anything, and may end up just doing low-stakes things instead.

With that said, there are definitely people who struggle to get themselves 'interested' in anything leading them to spend their leisure time on things that seem like 'wasting away' to other people who might not understand what it's like to struggle with that sort of thing.

Speaking from experience as somebody who feels bogged down by work even if I do nothing 'productive' or 'passionate' with my leisure time, it actually makes a lot of sense if you think of it this way: 'enjoying' something (not merely as 'performing a task' but as an actual emotional experience) isn't a passive thing that just 'happens' to a person but is an active process that requires energy.

If you spend all of that energy on things you don't enjoy, you may run out of it for things that would be enjoyable. And I don't mean 'You will run out of the energy to do things you enjoy', I mean 'You will run out of energy to experience the emotion of pleasure in itself'. Not to sound like a broken record but I mentioned earlier in this thread that it's common among schizoids and people with adjacent conditions, but it can happen to anybody in certain circumstances (I bring up schizoids because that's the demographic I'm most familiar with, and the commonality of this experience is far wider than most people realise). The specific phenomena associated with it even have terms: anhedonia and avolition. If the ability to feel pleasure is already drowned out, it's bad enough to not having anything 'fun' to do, it's even worse when you have to do things that you actively don't want to do. Hence, finding work burdensome even while seemingly lacking a 'better' use of one's time.

[CosmicRot]

Becoming phantasic is actually a hobby itself. Might be worth trying.

I've looked into stuff like this A LOT over the past decade, even had talked to my therapist a bit in hoping that some of the therapy stuff they do to help people with PTSD might be viable in helping people with aphantasia, but so far no luck!
Without getting into anything heavy it is QUITE possible I had VEEERRYY limited and very minor visualization capabilities when I was a kid [probably mostly grey blobs, but something at least! ahaha] but trauma could indeed have made it so it's impossible for me to visualize things.. cause one thing I've noticed different with me compared to most fellow folks I know with aphantasia is I dream! almost every night! but most of them I know don't have dreams at all...

Though that's a discussion for it's own thread! either way somehow this is a page I've never seen before [probably might have saw the title but avoided it due to the 'curing' terminology in a lot of cases being gross to me as an autistic person I might have knee-jerk avoided it] so I'll def check it out when I have the time an energy :))

[CosmicRot]

I don't visualise images at all either and I spend most of my time daydreaming/ruminating on things. I just imagine them as actual words instead of pictures. It's probably more effective if it goes hand in hand with also writing as a hobby on the side though, since it makes it easier to envision daydreams in your own 'style' instead of merely narrating a literal sequence of events.

For me my brain is literally devoid of everything, no sound, no words, no images.. I never know how to describe it properly but it's like talking to myself with no words or sound! so while I still love day dreaming, laying in bed for hours only day dreaming does in fact get boring especially if intrusive thoughts pop up or my pain is too bad to ignore. bleehhh.

and yeah I LOVE writing too, but if I can't actively be typing and writing it out then it's not as fun for me as just thinking about it [at least, it slowly becomes not fun the longer I'm doing it I mean.]