5 Hobbies That Help With Cognitive Functioning

Cognitive functioning is how your brain processes information like memory, decision-making or attention. Why are hobbies that induce cognitive stimulation important? Challenging your mind can activate or create new neural pathways. This can help you to learn and develop new skills. This can also help fight illnesses like dementia. In a recent study, people who regularly participated in their hobbies had better self-rated memory, compared to people with no hobbies.

Physical exercise is very beneficial to cognitive functioning – but what else? Certain hobbies can help to challenge your brain and adapt new neural pathways, helping you to sharpen skills and be mentally active.

Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts, the act of making decorative or functional objects by hand, is very beneficial to cognitive functioning. Although participating in arts and crafts is usually for small children, this hobby can be engaged in by adults. In turn, this hobby increases motor engagement, hand-eye co-ordination, problem solving and can stimulate new neural pathway development.

In a recent study, 256 elderly people reported not having any memory problems. After four years, 121 people developed mild cognitive impairment. However, participants who engaged in arts were 73% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, and those who crafted were 45% less likely. Arts and crafts could be beneficial to healthy cognitive functioning, as well as providing a fun, creative hobby to take up.

Reading

Reading is thought to be beneficial for cognitive stimulation. However, this may depend on the reading modality. In an experiment from 2024 on university students, paper text and audio reading reduced student’s anxiety levels and improved their sleep quality. Video and e-text reading were less effective.

Similarly, longitudinal research has shown that reading is associated with lower risk of dementia and slower cognitive decline. Early reading for pleasure was associated with better attention, memory skills, and fewer mental health problems.

Reading for pleasure may promote cognitive reserve. With many genres of books, reading could be an easier hobby to enjoy for positive cognitive functioning.

Learning an Instrument

Learning to play an instrument and read music is a complex but beneficial hobby. While playing an instrument, the brain relies on motor skills as well as visual and auditory skills. These skills need to integrate for music to be played well.

Although complex, learning an instrument is very beneficial for brain plasticity. In an experiment on people who play the piano, it was found that piano players had more advanced attentional, executive function and inhibitory control skills than the participants who didn’t play an instrument. Today, instrument learning is known as an effective hobby or intervention for elderly people to take up to promote cognitive reserve and wellbeing.

Learning a New Language

Probably the most practical hobby, learning a new language is an excellent hobby for promoting cognitive functioning. However, this hobby heavily relies on how frequently the person engages with it. In a recent scoping review, adults who learnt a second language engaged in numerous neuroplastic processes. These processes were characterized by functional reorganization and structural adaptation in the brain. The plasticity was sensitive to training intensity and age. However, no one is too old to learn a new language. This hobby requires dedication but can be very rewarding and help cognitive reserve.

Sudoku

Sudoku is a popular cognitively-stimulating activity. The aim is to place a number from one to nine into a line of cells, where the number must appear only once in the row in the grid. The puzzle requires sustained attention, working memory and rule-based reasoning. In a systematic review from 2026, playing sudoku engaged the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex, and some parietal areas in the brain. These areas are involved with working memory, performance monitoring and cognitive control.

Sudoku is an important hobby for fighting cognitive decline and building neural pathways. Even just 10 to 20 minutes of Sudoku per day can make a difference to concentration and logic.