Fearne Cotton has teamed up with Samsung to discuss how hobbies such as painting and drawing can boost Brits’ mental health.
A new survey has revealed that two-thirds of Brits use hobbies to destress. And more than half say relaxing pastimes boost their mental health.
Yes, it seems we’re a nation obsessed with hobbies, as 59% of Brits found a new passion during lockdown – and two-thirds say it helps them destress.
Of the 2,000 people recently surveyed by Samsung, 20% indicated they initially started their hobby as a way of filling time during weeks spent at home.
However, the good news is 91% have continued practising it regularly.
Fearne Cotton teams up with Samsung to boost mental health
Top reasons for keeping up their passion were to battle stress, with 65% saying their hobby helped.
Painting and drawing were among the top pursuits around this, with 29% saying they were great stress-busters.
In fact, 10% specifically looked for a creative hobby like art to help bring something new to their life.
Well over a third of those surveyed would even like to make their hobby their full-time job.
Meanwhile, 58% were keen to turn their lockdown hobby into a fully-fledged side hustle to make some extra cash.
The top hobbies were gardening, reading and walking, with baking, cooking and running all featuring highly too.
Nearly half the Brits surveyed have also taken up outdoor pursuits like swimming, hiking and running over the past two years.
Baking, gardening, jewellery-making and photography were the most popular start-up ideas.
Even those with no plans to take their hobby to the next level would secretly like to do so – as 41% conceded the only thing stopping them was time.
A further 47% worried they don’t have the right business know-how to make a go of a new venture.
Give your mental health a boost
A new-found love of gardening, video games and reading has helped improve the mood and mental health of 57% of those surveyed.
Most were complete novices around their chosen hobby when Covid-19 hit in 2020. As a result, 80% now say they could never imagine giving it up.
Almost two-thirds use their phone or laptop to research their pastime, with 37% indicating they use their phone to take photos or capture other inspiration.
And 71% said their phone was an important tool for their hobby, whether that’s for taking pictures or capturing inspiration.
Fearne helps to ‘make the world a happier place’
Samsung ambassador Fearne Cotton backs this. She found the brand’s new Galaxy Z Flip4 has made her painting and drawing hobby so much easier.
And that’s something which will be music to the ears of 10% of respondents, who have recently taken up the pastimes.
Fearne Cotton, author, broadcaster and founder of Happy Place, said: “It’s great to see that so many people are using hobbies as a way to improve their overall wellbeing, just like I do with my sketching.
“Being joyful pioneers of the tech world, Samsung is the perfect partner for me, as the brand shares my passion for showing how we can harness the positives of technology to help support us and make the world a better, happier place.”
Annika Bizon, Marketing and Omnichannel Director at Samsung, said: “We wanted to work with Fearne to showcase the power of technology in helping people push boundaries and fulfil their passions.
“It’s clear that people in the UK have continued to pursue their passions and hobbies that they picked up in lockdown over two years ago.
“We hope that through her enthusiasm and creativity, Fearne will showcase how technology can make wellbeing accessible to everyone.”
Highlight of their week
Like Fearne, many polled revealed their lockdown hobby had given them a new lease of life.
Some 86% admitted their chosen pastime is the highlight of their week.
In fact, 28% revealed they’d put time spent on their hobby above time with loved ones or work, and 37% said they preferred it to watching TV.
The top 10 hobbies are:
- Gardening
- Reading
- Walking
- Baking
- Video Gaming
- Cooking
- Running
- Puzzles
- Painting
- Drawing
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