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The importance of hobbies -

If you are someone who has lots of hobbies, you'll know just how much value they can add to your life. Of course, it is possible to live without hobbies, but life is much fuller with them!

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Benefits - The benefits of having a hobby are manifold. Hobbies can help boost your brain health, help you make social bonds, and add structure to your life.

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The sad reality -

Unfortunately, some people do not realize how important it is to have a hobby. Some people struggle to work out which routine activity is best for them.

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Expert advice -

According to the experts, a good way to work out which hobbies you will enjoy is to learn more about yourself, in consideration of your personality type.

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Understanding ourselves -

By understanding what drives us and what our strengths and weaknesses are, we are more likely to find a hobby that we will enjoy and stick with.

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The Big Five -

When analyzing your personality type, a helpful model to use is the Big Five. According to this model, there are five basic personality dimensions.

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The dimensions -

The five dimensions are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. They are often referenced by the acronym OCEAN.

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On the spectrum -

Each personality dimension exists on a spectrum, and most people fall somewhere between two extremes of each dimension.

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Overall personality type -

Broadly speaking, however, everyone has one Big Five dimension that most corresponds to their personality (although this can change over time).

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Determining your personality type -

In order to determine your personality type, you may want to do a test such as the Truity Big Five Personality Test. Once you know your personality type, you can pursue a hobby that best suits you.

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Openness -

People who fall under the openness personality type are often described as curious. They have very open minds and love learning new things.

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Openness -

A person who scores low on the openness scale, by contrast, may struggle with trying new things and prefer to stick with what they know.

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Best hobbies -

A good hobby for an openness person is anything that sparks their imagination and gets the creative juices flowing. It could be as simple as reading a novel.

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Best hobbies -

Some people in this category might prefer something more physically adventurous, however, such as traveling abroad or going on a nature hike.

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Conscientiousness -

People whose personality type is conscientiousness tend to be very empathetic. They are sensitive and mindful of the way their behavior affects others.

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Conscientiousness -

Another common character trait of these people is their attention to detail. They like to plan and they get a kick out of meeting deadlines.

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Best hobbies -

If your personality type is conscientiousness and you're looking for a hobby that appeals to your detail-oriented mind, you could do a lot worse than a strategy game, such as chess.

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Best hobbies -

However, people with this personality type also tend to enjoy hobbies that allow them to help others, such as volunteering at a charity.

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Extraversion - The social butterflies among us usually have the extraversion personality type. These people are all about socializing. They feel energized when in the presence of others.

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Extraversion - Another common trait of people with this personality type is that they tend to be very open and they find it very easy to meet new people.

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Best hobbies -

If this is your personality type, you would do well to choose a hobby that you can do with others, such as joining a dance class or singing in a choir.

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Best hobbies - Equally, you may enjoy participating in networking events. This is a great option if networking is not something you already do a lot of at work.

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Agreeableness - People who fall into the agreeableness category tend to be very cooperative and have an optimistic view on life.

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Agreeableness - As a general rule, people with this personality type get on very well with others, since they tend to be kind, altruistic, and affectionate.

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Best hobbies -

People with the agreeableness personality type tend to really enjoy hobbies where they can help others or contribute to the greater good, such as volunteering.

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Best hobbies - If this is your personality type and you are looking for a hobby that will satisfy your altruistic nature as well as letting you get some fresh air, why not start a community garden?

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Neuroticism -

Last but not least we have neuroticism, perhaps the least coveted of the personality types. People with this personality type tend to find the world a bit distressing.

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Neuroticism -

More often than not, they come across as sad, moody, and/or irritable. They struggle to come back from difficult experiences, and they need their hobbies to help.

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Best hobbies - If this is your personality type, fear not! Leaning into a hobby such as marathon training can help add structure to your life and soothe any difficult emotions.

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Best hobbies -

If you would prefer something less physically strenuous, why not opt for meditation? You can do this on your own, and it will have a relaxing and supportive effect on your mindset.

Sources: (Martha Stewart)

See also: The benefits of shared passions and hobbies amongst couples

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