Why Unrelated Hobbies Make You Smarter

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Hi, this is Ray.

When I first picked up Kendo, people kept asking me, “How does sword fighting help you run a business” I used to joke and say, “Well, it keeps my employees in line.” But here is the truth. Kendo has nothing to do with business. And that is exactly why it helps me so much.

There is a strange and powerful learning effect that happens when you practice a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with your goals. Your brain improves at the main thing by working on something totally different.

It sounds like magic.

It is actually neuroscience.

Today we explore why unrelated hobbies make you smarter, how they enhance learning, and why every high performer from Einstein to CEOs to elite athletes relies on this exact strategy.

Your Brain Needs Contrast to Grow

A study from the University of Texas at Austin showed that the brain strengthens learning by switching activities, not by grinding endlessly.

Another study from the University of Edinburgh found that practicing diverse, unrelated skills increases overall cognitive flexibility.

Meaning:

Your brain learns better when you step away from what you are learning and do something wildly different.

Why?

Because contrast lights up new neural pathways.

If all you do is study one thing, your brain becomes a one lane road.

If you do multiple different things, your brain becomes a highway system.

The Science of Cognitive Cross Training

This is the same principle athletes use.

Runners do strength training.

Swimmers do yoga.

Fighters do footwork drills outside their main martial art.

Why

Because training one system improves another.

A study from the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement confirmed that cross training the brain improves learning speed, memory, and adaptability more than practicing a single skill alone.

Unrelated hobbies do the same for your mind.

Your hobby might not teach the skill you are studying, but it trains the brain that uses the skill you are studying.

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How Unrelated Hobbies Improve Learning

There are seven major effects that make this work.

1. Pattern Switching

When you learn something new, your brain builds patterns.

When you learn something unrelated, your brain switches patterns.

This switching makes you better at problem solving.

2. Reduced Cognitive Fatigue

The brain tires from repetition.

Doing something different resets your circuits.

A study from Princeton showed that rest combined with alternate activities accelerates learning.

3. Improved Creativity

Creativity is the ability to combine ideas from different domains.

Hobbies give your brain raw material.

This is why Einstein played violin and why so many innovators have arts based hobbies.

4. Increased Neuroplasticity

New hobbies force your brain to grow new neural pathways.

Those new pathways spill over into other learning.

5. Emotional Recovery

Hobbies reduce stress, which improves memory formation.

A study from Harvard confirmed that lower stress equals better learning.

6. More Motivation

When learning one thing gets frustrating, your hobby keeps your motivation high by giving you small wins.

7. Identity Expansion

If you see yourself as only one thing, you limit yourself.

Hobbies expand who you think you are and what you think you can learn.

This increases confidence, which increases learning capacity.

What Types of Hobbies Help the Most

Not all hobbies activate the brain in the same way.

Here are categories that science shows are especially powerful.

1. Artistic Hobbies

Painting

Drawing

Photography

Music

Writing

Crafting

These improve creativity, pattern recognition, and emotional regulation.

2. Physical Hobbies

Sports

Martial arts

Dance

Climbing

Yoga

These improve focus, discipline, and cognitive flexibility.

3. Technical Hobbies

Building models

Programming small projects

Robotics

Puzzles

Mechanical tinkering

These improve logical reasoning.

4. Social Hobbies

Group classes

Team clubs

Language exchanges

These improve communication, emotional intelligence, and memory.

5. Craft and Hands On Hobbies

Cooking

Woodworking

Gardening

Knitting

Repairing things

These improve kinesthetic memory and problem solving.

Pick the one that energizes you.

Do not worry if it looks unrelated to your goals.

That is the point.

How Hobbies Support Every J KAV Learning Style

Your learning style determines the best hobby for enhancing your learning.

Visual learners

Benefit from arts, design, photography, and visual problem solving.

Auditory learners

Do well with music, language exchange groups, and rhythm based activities.

Kinesthetic learners

Thrive in dance, martial arts, sports, crafts, and hands on building.

Your personality traits matter too.

Introverts may enjoy solitary creative hobbies.

Extroverts may thrive in social group hobbies.

Logical thinkers may enjoy puzzles or robotics.

Emotional thinkers may enjoy expressive arts or movement practices.

Your brain prefers what aligns with your wiring.

Lean into that.

How to Use Your Hobby to Boost Your Learning

Here is how to turn your unrelated hobby into a cognitive accelerator.

Step 1: Use your hobby as a mental reset

When learning feels stuck, do your hobby for ten to fifteen minutes.

Return with a fresh brain.

Step 2: Switch activities intentionally

Study

Hobby

Study

Hobby

This alternation boosts retention.

Step 3: Look for metaphor bridges

Ask yourself:

-What does my hobby teach about discipline

-What does it teach about patience

-What does it teach about mistakes

-What does it teach about creativity

These metaphors strengthen transfer learning.

Step 4: Use your hobby for stress regulation

If you get overwhelmed while studying, do your hobby to rebalance your nervous system.

Step 5: Celebrate micro wins

Your hobby gives you small successes that keep motivation high even when the main thing feels difficult.

Step 6: Let your hobby shape your learning style

If you are a visual learner, your hobby might give you visual study strategies.

If you are a kinesthetic learner, your hobby might give you motion based rituals.

Everything blends.

Why Unrelated Hobbies Make You Better at Hard Things

When you challenge yourself in one domain, you upgrade your identity. When you upgrade your identity, you expect yourself to improve everywhere.

-If you can learn to bake sourdough, you can learn algebra.

-If you can learn salsa dancing, you can learn coding.

-If you can learn Kendo, you can learn leadership.

Competence anywhere increases confidence everywhere.

This is the real magic of unrelated hobbies.

My Experiment: The Sushi Lesson

During the pandemic, I tried learning to make sushi.

I failed repeatedly.

Rice too wet.

Rice too dry.

Fish way too big.

Seaweed falling apart.

Rolls exploding dramatically.

But something interesting happened.

As I learned to make sushi, my patience improved.

As my patience improved, my business strategy improved.

As my business strategy improved, everything else improved.

Sushi had nothing to do with business.

But it upgraded the mind that runs the business.

That is the power of unrelated hobbies.

The Bigger Lesson

Your brain is not a single purpose machine.

It learns best when exposed to diversity, contrast, and novelty.

A hobby that seems irrelevant today might be the thing that unlocks your next breakthrough tomorrow.

Hobbies give you:

• mental flexibility

• emotional renewal

• fresh perspectives

• creativity boosts

• stress relief

• identity expansion

• pattern recognition

• resilience

• transferable skills

The next time someone says your hobby is a distraction, just smile.

You are not avoiding your learning.

You are accelerating it.

Stay curious,

Ray