Join an Online Hobby Group

Quick Win

Reap the benefits of socializing and ongoing learning by joining an online community devoted to your favorite activity.

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• Find established groups. The best online hobby groups offer plenty of ways to learn and socialize. Look for a group with a robust catalog of videos, guides and other content to help you develop your skills as well as a large and active community of fellow hobbyists you can engage with. Ravelry fits this bill for knitters and crochet enthusiasts. The Embroiderers Guild UK has a virtual Sit & Stitch, and Hive Index lists communities for home cooks along with plenty of other hobbies.
• Get the lay of the land. Many hobby sites are divided into interest groups — for example, Ravelry has pages dedicated to different patterns. Take some time to learn how the site you are interested in is organized.
• Join the conversation. At the core of online hobby groups are discussion boards in which people can pose various questions — perhaps about the right temperature for baking a chocolate cake, or when best to plant tomato seeds for your climate. After you’ve done some research, ask your first question — or go right ahead and answer a question that draws upon your expertise.

Why

A study published in The Lancet in 2023 reviewed data from 93,263 adults 65 and older living in 16 countries. The researchers concluded that engaging with a hobby was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction. All the better if that hobby can be shared with other people, since social engagement “helps maintain thinking skills and slows cognitive decline in later life,” according to AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health 2017 report “The Brain and Social Connectedness.” This can include connecting with people online, the report says.