All posts tagged: Hobby

The Hobbies Each Zodiac Sign Finds Most Enjoyable

The Hobbies Each Zodiac Sign Finds Most Enjoyable

Spare time is a rare commodity these days, so what you choose to do with your free time says a lot about you. The hobbies you prefer offer insight into your personality and can even reveal your zodiac sign.  Whether you like to play games or dive into something creative, we all need our hobbies, as they keep us healthy and sane. But the activities the astrological signs choose differ greatly. Leos and Cancers, for example, definitely don’t have the same taste in pastimes. Here’s how you can guess someone’s zodiac sign based on the hobbies they find most enjoyable.  Aries Design: YourTango Aries is intellectual, and you’ll often find them reading. Still, Aries is a bold fire sign, so they prefer exciting thrillers and adventurous tales far more than slow-paced novels. Aries can get easily bored, and they appreciate that reading allows them to step into another world.  When they aren’t curled up with a book, they’re creating their own art. Aries love to write and engage in debates. They are also very good …

Ancient Forgeries & Hobby Lobby | Madeleine Schwartz

Ancient Forgeries & Hobby Lobby | Madeleine Schwartz

In 2012 I enrolled in a master’s program at Oxford to study papyrology. Of the many subfields in classics, papyrology is perhaps the most difficult to understand but also the most bewitching. It is one of the only types of classical scholarship through which new texts can still be found; there is always the promise that the pieces of reedy paper papyrologists conserve and study could contain unknown work. Archaeologists began to look for these texts in the middle of the nineteenth century, after a discovery of carbonized books at the Italian city of Herculaneum a century earlier—mainly works of philosophy—drew public attention to the vast array of ancient literature that might still be brought to light. “What rapture! could ye seize/Some Theban fragment,” Wordsworth wrote in 1819, “or unroll/One precious, tender-hearted scroll/Of pure Simonides.” Egypt promised still greater treasures, since the dry climate that kept mummies intact was also good for preserving papyrus, a fragile material made from the pith of the papyrus plant. In the early nineteenth century, after Egyptian peasants happened upon …

A moment that changed me: I was turning 40 with an arthritis diagnosis – on a whim I took up my favourite teen hobby again | Fitness

A moment that changed me: I was turning 40 with an arthritis diagnosis – on a whim I took up my favourite teen hobby again | Fitness

At 14, I decided to learn a martial art. I told my parents it was to defend myself on the mean streets of Congleton – a market town in Cheshire largely devoid of danger – when, in truth, it was because I wanted to be like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I joined a kickboxing club, and what could have been a passing phase became a thrice-weekly commitment spanning four years. I was a model student, picking up a different coloured belt every few months to mark my progression through the grades. I grew strong and flexible, swapping puppy fat for muscle. I routinely fought men without fear and found a confidence in my body I have never experienced before or since. ‘I was in the best shape of my life’ … Lauren in 2004. Photograph: Mark Potts By the time I came to do my black belt grading in 2004, I was 19 and in the best shape of my life. Three torturous hours of punches, kicks, fitness drills and sparring pushed me to my …

The hobby that can decrease stress and help strengthen relationships

The hobby that can decrease stress and help strengthen relationships

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Researchers at the University of Plymouth recently confirmed what board game fans and role-playing game (RPG) enthusiasts have known for decades: that tabletop games “enhance well-being, foster inclusion, and support learning, with strong evidence that games improve engagement.” The researchers were particularly interested in how board games benefit people who display autistic traits, but tabletop gaming has social benefits that support personal well-being for everyone. For those of us who spend our free time with 20-sided dice, or boast an impressive collection of meeple-themed jewelry, it’s undeniable that we’re living in a “golden age” of board games. But with digital technologies on the rise, the success of tabletop games might come as a surprise to some. In 2025, the global board games and playing …

Kate Middleton’s surprising hobby she ‘plays with her parents’ Carole and Michael Middleton is so on trend

Kate Middleton’s surprising hobby she ‘plays with her parents’ Carole and Michael Middleton is so on trend

The Princess of Wales is known to have serious sporting prowess. Whether it’s taking part in a training day with England Rugby or competing with her husband, Prince William, on a spin bike, the future Queen has a love for all things sport. Now, Kate, 44, has revealed that she has a new sporting hobby, and it’s a rather on-trend one. The royal explained while attending an official garden party with her husband at Buckingham Palace on Friday, that she enjoys playing padel. © Alamy Stock PhotoKate revealed her pechant for padel while chatting to guests at the second garden party of the season Chatting to representatives from the Lawn Tennis Association, she asked: “Have you adopted padel? I love padel, it’s such a good game, such a great leveller for those who don’t play tennis.” She told another guest: “It’s so sociable and all generations can play – I play with my parents.” The Prince and Princess hosted the second garden party of the season on Friday on behalf of the King, ably supported by Zara Tindall and …

Could a sociable midlife hobby be the secret to dodging Alzheimer’s?

Could a sociable midlife hobby be the secret to dodging Alzheimer’s?

We’ve all had “that” moment. You walk into the kitchen with a sense of purpose, only to stare at the fridge and realise your brain has just hit the factory reset button. You’re standing there, wondering if you came in for a cup of tea or to check if the back door is locked. For many of us over a certain age, these moments carry a cold shiver of anxiety. If you’ve watched anyone slip away into the fog of dementia, you’ll feel a sense of dread. But I have some good news to share. New breakthrough research from the Trinity College Dublin Institute of Neuroscience has turned the genetic doom narrative on its head.  © Getty ImagesFree time coud be spent learning to skate board – if you’re brave It turns out that the window between 40 and 59 is a golden opportunity – a “cognitive reserve” building phase where we can actually outweigh our genetic risks through the sheer power of how we spend our free time.  What Did The Study Find The …

Prince Louis embraces grandad Michael Middleton’s ‘favourite’ hobby in 8th birthday video

Prince Louis embraces grandad Michael Middleton’s ‘favourite’ hobby in 8th birthday video

Prince Louis‘s eighth birthday video on Thursday gave us a rare insight into the Waleses’s family life – and also revealed the young prince’s current favourite hobbies.  Prince William And Kate‘s youngest child was seen making sandcastles, jumping off a boat, and playing cricket on a recent family holiday in Cornwall.   Fans soon speculated that Louis may have inherited his love of the sport from his grandfather, Michael Middleton, who is also known to love cricket. Louis and Michael are often said to look like each other – but it appears they have even more in common than that! One royal watcher wrote on social media: “This is so cute because Mike Tindall mentioned that Michael Middleton loves cricket. I bet he plays it with his grandpa.” The Prince of Wales previously opened up about his youngest son’s love of cricket while helping out in the kitchens at food charity Surplus to Supper in 2024, saying he “loves” the sport.  © GettyPrince Louis turned 8 on Thursday And in Louis’s adorable fourth birthday portraits …

The hobby that can rewire your brain and help you build resilience

The hobby that can rewire your brain and help you build resilience

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Ordinary and universal, the act of writing changes the brain. From dashing off a heated text message to composing an op-ed, writing allows you to, at once, name your pain and create distance from it. Writing can shift your mental state from overwhelm and despair to grounded clarity — a shift that reflects resilience. Psychology, the media and the wellness industry shape public perceptions of resilience: Social scientists study it, journalists celebrate it, and wellness brands sell it. They all tell a similar story: Resilience is an individual quality that people can strengthen with effort. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as an ongoing process of personal growth through life’s challenges. News headlines routinely praise individuals who refuse to give up or find silver linings in times of hardship. The wellness industry promotes relentless self-improvement as the path to resilience. In …

Scientists Found We’re Hardwired To Enjoy Crystals

Scientists Found We’re Hardwired To Enjoy Crystals

Crystal girlies, we are vindicated! (Maybe.) A new scientific study has found that chimpanzees are basically “woo woo” spiritual girlies who are super into crystals, suggesting we’re probably hard-wired to like them too.  Yep, you read that right: Chimps are crunchy, spirituality-obsessed devotees of the local crystal store who spend all their time scrolling “witchtok,” or they would be if they went shopping and had phones, at least. Okay, I’m hyperbolizing a bit due to (full disclosure) my own bias towards open-mindedness when it comes to all things “woo.”  But while the research doesn’t exactly prove that crystals do actually harbor spiritual power, it doesn’t exactly NOT prove it either. One thing that is for sure, though? Chimpanzees do NOT play around about crystals!  A study found that chimpanzees are obsessed with crystals. Crystals and stones have long been a part of so-called “New Age” or “woo” spirituality, and it’s often the part of it that is most readily eyerolled by those who are less spiritually inclined. A rock? With spiritual powers? Come on.  What …

People Who Read Are Better At Dealing With Whatever Life Throws At Them

People Who Read Are Better At Dealing With Whatever Life Throws At Them

Old-fashioned hobbies are certainly making a comeback, and one neuroscientist claimed that there’s one that can regulate your nervous system in a way that others just can’t. When life seems to be hitting you hard, instead of taking out the knitting needles, take out a book instead.  It may feel like your hobbies are just things that you enjoy in your free time, but depending on what you choose to do, they can also be extremely beneficial for your health and well-being. In fact, a study published in Nature Medicine found that simply having any kind of hobby can do this. Some hobbies are considered more old-fashioned than others, and are even thought of as that thing your grandma does for fun, so they’ve lost some of the popularity they previously had. However, reading, even though a lot of people don’t give it much thought these days, has been scientifically proven to be one of the best ways to prepare yourself for absolutely anything life may throw at you. People who read as a hobby …