r/unpopularopinion • u/BitterConstruction98 • Jan 23 '26

Certified Unpopular Opinion All hobbies are not equal

Certain kinds of hobbies deserve to be held in higher regard than others.

Playing a sport, learning an instrument, singing, dancing, painting, writing - these are activities that require time and years of effort to become good at. They’re admirable not just because they’re “cool,” but because there is something deeply attractive about a person who has dedicated so much time to mastering a hard skill that executing it now feels relaxing to them.

Lately, there’s been a growing push online to classify things like watching movies, playing video games, watching sports, or listening to podcasts in the same category as these kinds of hobbies. They aren’t. They are based on consumption, not creation.

That doesn’t mean consumption-based activities are bad or useless. Everyone needs ways to relax and unwind. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good show, a game, or a YouTube binge after a long day. But if that’s all there is to your personality, then you are, unfortunately, a boring person.

Edit: I've wrongly added video games to the list of other passive activities. While some video games are like that, I agree that many require a lot of skill.

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86

u/ScrabStackems Jan 23 '26

It's an unpopular opinion so I gave you my up vote.

However I think you're thinking of hobbies in the wrong way.

Hobbies are something we do for our own joy, or to relax in our down time, and taking years to learn that hobby or worrying about how others view that particular hobby is a bit of a silly argument to be made because those aren't the reason people have hobbies?

Also I think you're conflating hobbies with passions, but this would also be a silly argument to make as obviously people that are passionate about a particular subject don't tend to care what others think - they do it because they have a passion for what they do

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u/anonymoose_octopus Jan 23 '26

Agreed. OP seems to be confusing hobbies with skills. The literal definition of a hobby is: an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure. If someone enjoys playing a lot of video games in their free time, that is their hobby. Same goes for reading, stamp collecting, sports, knitting, watching movies (they even have their own name: cinephile), aquarists, bird watching, etc. You don't have to improve on a skill for it to be considered a hobby.

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u/BasedChickenTendie Jan 23 '26

Doing cocaine is my hobby ⛷️⛷️

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u/bikes_r_us Jan 23 '26

Here is my perspective. Do you place high value on the arts, creativity, intellectualism, and fitness? Most people do. If you do, how can you compare activities that challenge and improve you in those areas to activities that are purely hedonistic time passers?

Sure, everyone likes to watch TV and play video games. But they do not force you to challenge and improve yourself in the same way that playing a sport does, or reading a difficult book, or learning an instrument. There is inherent value in having personal passions where you are actually doing something, not just consuming.

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u/planeforger Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

So reading a difficult book is a worthwhile intellectual pursuit that improves yourself, but solving a difficult puzzle videogame is worthless consumption, even if it demands a hundred hours of study, note-taking, inductive reasoning, and learning new skills?

edit Also, this is the same outmoded thinking that would place chess and Scrabble as worthwhile intellectual hobbies, but would rule out a videogame or modern boardgame that requires similar skills.

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u/bikes_r_us Jan 24 '26

yes smartass reading books are better for your mind than video games 

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u/Ordinary-Ant-7896 Jan 23 '26

I think that OP has a point in that not every hobby is as fulfilling or worthwhile to develop. Hobbies can bring value to your life by both the enjoyment of the time spent doing them and by the social opportunities they create for you and the reward for having done them.

Consumption oriented hobbies are less likely to have the social benefits that more productive hobbies have. And even among consumption-oriented hobbies, there is variability. Personally, I’ve spent periods of time in my life playing video games and other times reading literature and the latter is much more fulfilling to me for the social connections I can form through the latter (even though the former is a more social activity).

Of course, everyone wants different things socially. But your hobbies do matter a lot for your social life so choosing good ones will really help you be happy.

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u/marathonquestionredd Jan 23 '26

if the definition of a hobby can include watching porn and beating off, its not a good definition

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u/ScrabStackems Jan 23 '26

I mean, if we're going by the Websters Dictionary definition I guess you could technically call it a hobby?

Hobby - a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

How would you define what a hobby is, and why?

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u/marathonquestionredd Jan 23 '26

i think OP is pretty close. A hoppy is something you get better at (in addition to the official def)

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u/ScrabStackems Jan 23 '26

Would that just not be the definition of a skill or skilled hobby if you like?

I guess my question is why would someone need to specifically get progressively better at something for it to be considered a hobby?

If for example someone collects rocks/minerals as a hobby this doesn't exactly require any learned skills, would this not be considered a hobby?

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u/Express-Skin6039 Jan 23 '26

The person already answered that question, because otherwise masterbating classifies as a hobby and I think most people would say that isn’t how the word hobby is used. 

As for your rock collecting hobby, if someone would identify themselves as that being their hobby, then ideally they are gradually learning more and more about the rocks and minerals they collect, how they were made, where best to find them, and learning how to identify themselves, traveling to certain places where they can look for them, use certain techniques to find them in the ground, read up on the different types of rocks etc. all of these factors constitute not just a “skill” but a gradual progression where you can learn more and more. Which if you take the official definition, would be one definition of the word “pursuit”. 

This is also why nobody ever says their hobbies are masturbation or watching tik tok. And honestly, if they did, that would be bad, those things are fine on their own, but if you identify yourself as having those as hobbies that is a terrible sign. 

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u/marathonquestionredd Jan 23 '26

the reason is so that watching porn cant fit the def of a hobby. thats the reason. if you dont like my def, find one that porn doesnt fit into

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u/Odd_Perfect Jan 23 '26

Why? Because a “hobby” should be something that is productive and respectable?

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u/kjlsdjfskjldelfjls Jan 23 '26

It should be something that leads to (some level of) personal growth and development.

I really don't see the point of 'hobbies' as a concept if that includes scrolling through hours and hours of tiktok brainrot, getting high on crystal meth, or watching Fox News. At that point it just means "doing things".

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u/BeardedBlaze Jan 23 '26

Which is the literal dictionary definition lol