Hobby vs Interest
Hobbies and interests may seem like synonyms or interchangeable terms to most people. Many of us have various interests in life, in addition to our jobs. When filling out forms for a job, we often see a column asking about our hobbies and interests. Hobbies and interests are pursued in one’s free time. For most people, hobbies and interests are the same, and they discuss them interchangeably. However, there are differences between a hobby and an interest that will be discussed in this article.
Hobby
A hobby is an activity that brings pleasure, and people participate in such an activity during their spare time. For example, some people enjoy engaging in adventurous outdoor activities whenever they have leisure time. A hobby is an activity that makes people happy, allowing them to forget the tensions of their lives temporarily. Many people listen to music in their free time, getting lost in their musical world and forgetting their worries and problems for a while. Others collect stamps, a hobby known as philately. Many people collect coins from different countries and have extensive collections of old and rare coins from various nations. This is a hobby referred to as numismatics. Hobbies can be diverse, and there is no limit to the types of hobbies people can have. For some, dancing is not just a hobby; it is a passion they cannot live without. They dance in their spare time, finding inner satisfaction and pleasure from engaging in their favorite activity.
It is essential to remember that a hobby is pursued for fun or pleasure and not for remuneration. Thus, an activity ceases to be a hobby as soon as it becomes a profession or a source of livelihood for someone.
Interest
Interest is defined as curiosity or the feeling an individual has for a particular thing or activity. If a subject piques a person’s interest or curiosity, it is said that their interests lie in that subject. When talking about someone, we often say they have interests in share markets or sports, depending on the situation. People have different areas of interest, and there are often questions about one’s interests in life when facing an interview panel. You may be very interested in football but not actively play it. This means you read a lot about football and watch it on TV and in stadiums because you are interested in the sport. Similarly, you may not be a politician but are interested in politics and avidly watch political news and current affairs programs on TV.
Key Takeaways
- A hobby is an activity pursued for fun and pleasure, while interest is a broader area.
- One may not play football but watch and read a lot about the sport because their interest lies in it.
- A hobby remains for fun and recreation, and an activity ceases to be a hobby when it becomes a profession for someone.
