For some, more time at home means more time on their hands. And instead of using those restless fingers to scroll through their phones, people have picked up yarn, pots of soil and vats of natural fabric dyes.
“I think it’s wonderful, and a really good idea,” says Ann Futterman Collier, a psychologist at Northern Arizona University. If you’ve yet to try a hobby while social distancing, there’s a lot to gain from the activities beyond a new sweater or fresh basil.
Maybe older generations picked up what we would call “hobbies” because whatever they made — like clothing or furniture — was cheaper than buying a manufactured version. In many cases, that isn’t true anymore, Collier says, in part because larger endeavors can take a lot of time to finish.
Instead, Collier has found that people now invest their time and money in these projects because of their psychological ...
