STUDENT LIFE

TECH VS NON-TECH HOBBIES: WHICH ONE IS BEST FOR YOU?

Introduction

How much time do you spend on average per week lounging on your couch while mindlessly scrolling through your phone or binging your favorite Netflix show? Do you think that you would be able to get up to that same amount of time getting lost in a really good book or exploring the great outdoors? In this article, I will be explaining the different effects that both non-technological (non-tech) and technological (tech) hobbies have on people's mental, physical, and socio-emotional health.


What are Non-Tech and Tech Hobbies?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a hobby is “an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.” When the technology element is added to a hobby, this is basically just implying that the hobby involves the usage of technology for long amounts of time. Examples of this kind of hobbies are playing video games, watching TV shows and scrolling through social media platforms. 


A non-tech hobby is an activity that does not involve the use of technology. Examples of this kind of hobbies are cooking, reading or playing outside. 


What are the Pros and Cons of Non-Tech Hobbies?

Non-tech hobbies can improve a person's mental health in many ways. One of the main benefits that come with taking part in a non-tech hobby would be that it reduces cortisol levels within the body. Cortisol is your body's main stress hormone and is in control of your mood, fears, and motivations. 


According to a study done by Utah State University, participants’ cortisol levels were reduced by around 75% after engaging in an artistic activity without any prior needed knowledge on the subject. The reason why this can be such an important factor in people's mental health is because cortisol is one of the main parts that controls stress within the body, and knowing that doing a non-tech hobby has the ability to drastically reduce stress can be important to children in the future. Headtohealth.gov states that, “Research shows that people with hobbies are less likely to suffer from stress, low mood, and depression”. Activities that get you out and about can make you feel happier and more relaxed. Group activities in particular,  like team sports, can improve your communication skills and relationships with others.” 


Furthermore, according to the University of Florida, “Exercise reduces stress and improves physiological health by triggering antidepressant hormones and increasing endorphin secretion.” This is because when our body moves around, this releases endorphins that counteracts feelings of anxiety and stress. Less of these mental health problems is likely to improve our relationships with others. Research done by Tempur.com has shown that non tech hobbies like reading is also an effective way to help ease your mind to sleep. Reading is a method that makes your brain feel tired and sleepy without needing to do any sort of physical activity to reach this state. Not only does reading help with falling asleep but healthline states that it helps ease stress, relieve insomnia, improve the quality of sleep and duration of sleep you get. 


From my research, I did not find cons from non-tech hobbies that could do any serious damage to human health but the adults that I know have said that their non-tech hobbies, particularly those of the athletic-nature, can be traumatic for their wallets.


What are the Pros and Cons of Tech Hobbies?

According to Bradley University, internet addiction is becoming a more visible issue amongst adolescents. Some of the short-term consequences that arise with this addiction are increased levels of anxiety, poorer sleep, and low self-esteem. However, consistent prolonged screen time can lead to internet addiction and  lead to more detrimental problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, insomnia, vision problems, depression and weight gain or loss. 


Although the effects of technology can seem very harmful, there are still some benefits of using it. One of these is from a study conducted by The National Institute of Health that involved analyzing MRI’s of the brain and found that a child who games for 3-4 hours compared to someone who is not doing anything technological for  the same amount of time evidently had higher levels of brain function in the areas that are associated with attention and memory. So in this instance, tech hobbies are seen to improve cognitive functions more compared to non-tech hobbies. 


On the other hand, Videogameaddiction clearly states in an article published by Journal of Youth and Adolescence that there is a link between poorer relationships with families and friends because of the use of video games or video game addiction. This may not just affect people who play video games but also possibly those who mindlessly play and watch videos on their devices. Instead of spending the limited time that we have with our friends and family, we are wasting our time by watching Netflix and playing video games for hours on end. 


Additionally, people who engage with tech-hobbies more, specifically with video games, tend to over or under eat. According to Forbes, in many observational studies, it has been found that there is a link between gaming and obesity. Researchers believe this is because in the past, food has become a “reward” when people tend to play video games. On the other hand, gaming and other tech hobbies are also associated with a loss of weight because when children and adults play video games, their heart rate increases which in turn, makes them burn more calories. 


Even while this is true, video games have been seen to drastically disrupt gamers’ circadian rhythm, a 2- hour cycle that affects how we feel mentally, physically, and behaviorally. The circadian rhythm is what prepares our body to sleep, wake up, and tells us when to do things like eat. For the circadian rhythm in our bodies to properly function, your body also needs external cues like how the sun gets brighter during the day and darker at night. 

But when a person spends the entire day inside, playing games, they are not being exposed to those external cues which may affect their circadian rhythm. Although this may not seem like a huge problem, because their sleep cycle is off, this makes it more difficult for them to fall asleep, when in turn it makes it more difficult for them to wake up at their desired time. 


My Experiment

To test the effects of non-tech hobbies versus tech hobbies, I conducted a small experiment where I did all non-tech hobbies for the two days of a weekend and nothing but technology for another two days of the following weekend. 


When I conducted this experiment on myself, I found out that, instead of what I would normally do on the weekends like watching Netflix or playing video games and staying in my room for the majority of the day, I was unconsciously spending more time with my family and playing games with them. Another friend of mine from  The Harbour School did the same experiment with me as she found that her decreased usage in technology improved her sleep. She stated that she usually would wake up in the middle of the night but found that the days that she did not do tech, she was able to sleep through the whole night. 


In the next experiment where I spent the weekend engaging with technology, I found, obviously, that I was spending more time in my room and less time socializing with my friends and family. I also felt less energized throughout the day although I was not waking up periodically in the middle of the night anymore. 


Based on the data that I received from this experiment, I believe that students like me and other teenagers should try to develop a hobby that does not involve the usage of tech. Although the results from my short experiment showed that tech hobbies help in a way that non-tech hobbies do not, this effect is not the same for everyone so it is still worth trying it for yourself. Furthermore, the experiment that I did with no technology was over a very short period of time so I believe  that if instead I did this over a longer period of time, I would see different results. 


Conclusion

In conclusion, the evidence and experiment that I have completed shows that there are definitely benefits and drawbacks when it comes to the usage of hobbies that involve technology and hobbies that do not. My experiment also concluded that the physical and mental results of doing each of these hobbies will differ for every single person so at the end of the day, it is about achieving a healthy balance between using technology and doing something physically active with your loved ones, 







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