We need more hobbies. Because frankly we could all do with a distraction or two. In a world that’s always on, always charged, where to-do lists are never-ending and everyone’s addicted to their screens, a hobby gives you an out. They’re a way to unplug, relax, meet people and serve up an antidote to the general burnout of modern life.
Below, we’ve found no less than 15 best hobbies for men, each of them designed to tackle an unwanted symptom of the rat race.
Urban Orienteering
Urban orienteering is a half race, half mental challenge: reading a (real) map, while running, outdoors. The perfect hobby as well as remedy.
Play Adult Board Games
Studies have linked board games to boosts in cognitive skills and good mental health. And there are plenty of adult-orientated games out there. For a fun hobby, try historical fantasy Scythe, space-opera strategy Quantum, or puzzler Sagrada. Joining a club is every bit as addictive as social media, only the people and interactions are real.
Start Ground Hopping
You can waste a lifetime watching sports on never-ending 24-hour channels, or you can get out and see a game for real. In fact, go one better and visit as many stadiums and club grounds as possible in the sport you love the most – one of the ultimate collecting hobbies for men.
Learn Some Magic
You can Tinder all you want, but you’re not going to learn any new ways to impress a potential date staring at your phone. And what’s more impressive than a flawlessly performed magic trick?
Solve Some Jigsaw Puzzles
Numerous studies have found evidence that puzzles help delay memory decline in old age and ward off degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s by keeping you mentally active. Jigsaws also require visuospatial skills, which engage different parts of the brain and enhance problem solving skills. Namely the ones that are usually fried into submission by your inbox.
Go Metal Detecting
A wonderfully lonesome hobby for men who enjoy the great outdoors and the quiet thrill of trying to find buried treasure. There’s also a whole detecting subculture and hobbyist clubs to get involved with and yes, there is a (slim) chance that you’ll find the Lost Ark of the Covenant.
Take Up Knitting
That’s right, knitting. In the last few years, more young men have taken up knitting as a pastime – not just to get creative with colored wool, but because it’s an effective de-stresser and relaxation exercise. Plus, it’s absolutely bang on-trend right now.
Become A Spotter
Trainspotting is kind of old hat, but there are lots of other spotter hobbies: bird watching, of course, cars, dragonflies, trees, even fungi. All you need is yourself, some half-decent weather and a notebook.
Try Anti-Gravity Cocooning
It sounds like a craze – and it kind of is – but this is among the most creative hobby ideas for getting in the zen-zone. It’s essentially a light yoga-style workout while cocooned in a hammock suspended from the ceiling, followed by a bit of a nap, designed to energize both body and mind.
Get Into Audio Workouts
Downloadable audio workouts from online fitness platforms such as Daily Spot can boost your cardio performance with instructions, tips and banging tunes straight into your earphones. It’s a great hobby and better than being shouted at by a real personal trainer, right? Plus, it’s one of the most inexpensive hobbies for men, if getting in shape is on your to-do list.
Go Up In The World With Stair Running
One of the big emerging trends in running – swapping the good old-fashioned park for a huge flight of stairs. Guaranteed to increase your lactate threshold, leg strength and muscular endurance, it will also improve standard flat level running and burn a serious amount of calories.
Go Geocaching
An app based-treasure hunt that uses GPS to help you find a hidden “cache” of goodies. Caches are stashed away in location all around the world. Like Pokemon Go, but for adults.
Go Cheese Tasting
Tasting – alright, scoffing – cheese is one of life’s greatest indulgences, dressed up as a posh social gathering. It shows a bit of imagination on date night, and you can impress her with the highly sophisticated ability to whiff a good cheddar from 10 yards. Just remember some mints.
Museum Hopping
Pencils, penises, and purposely shit art – there are museums dedicated to all sorts of weird things. Have a mini museum adventure and see something slightly bonkers for a truly memorable day out.
Join A Survival School
Self-improvement at its most primal level: fire-starting, outdoor shelters, foraging and animal tracking. Skills all men want and would secretly prefer to Instagram photo editing and fixing the WiFi router. Group survival courses also teach invaluable team and communication skills to take into the workplace.
