Why You Avoid Skilled Activities Even Though They Make You Happy

To prepare for this post, I asked ChatGPT 4o, “How many days per year does Gen Z spend on social media and watching TV/streaming?” The answer was absolutely jaw-dropping: “Gen Z spends a significant portion of their daily lives on social media and streaming platforms. On average, they dedicate approximately 6.6 hours per day on media consumption, which includes social media and streaming services. To calculate the annual time spent:

Daily media consumption: 6.6 hours.

Annual media consumption: 6.6 hours/day x 365 days/year = 2,409 hours/year.

Converting this into days: Annual media consumption in days: 2,409 hours/24 hours per day = 100.4 days/year! (exclamation point my own)”

The entertainment industry has developed attention-grabbing services such as TikTok, Instagram, and Netflix, which appeal strongly to Gen Z and other age cohorts. Based on the statistics, media consumption wins the majority of people’s leisure time these days (if not some of their sleep, study, or work from home time as well). But what happened to more effortful and engaging hobbies like learning a new language or playing the guitar?

The Difference Between High and Low Skill Activities

My colleague and I set out to understand the distinction between high and low skill activities in a publication¹. We defined certain activities as low skill-based, such as scrolling social media, where ability does not improve with practice over time. Other activities were defined as high skill-based, such as playing guitar, where ability can improve with practice over time.

As suspected, we found that participants were significantly more likely to spend their free time on low-skill activities. But when we asked participants which kind of activity they derived more happiness and meaning from, the results completely flipped. Respondents clearly said spending time on high-skill activities boosted their happiness. Despite being more effortful, high-skill activities allow people to experience flow, which is a state of complete immersion and deep focus in the task at hand².

The Flow State

Flow states occur when a task is challenging enough to hold your attention. If the task is too easy compared to your abilities, you will experience boredom. If the task is too difficult compared to your abilities, you will experience frustration. In other words, a goldilocks zone exists where challenge meets ability. Flow states occur when an athlete becomes in the zone during a big game, an author loses track of time writing his novel, or a surgeon performs an operation.

Despite being effortful, challenging, and perhaps even stressful, people report substantial happiness and satisfaction as a result of activities that promote flow states. In our studies, we found that flow states were the key reason why high-skill activities make people happier. On the other hand, low-skilled activities do not offer the opportunity for flow to kick in.

How to Tip the Balance in Your Favor

Don’t get me wrong – there is definitely a time and place for relaxing and zoning out to some television after a long day. Balance is key here, yet spending all your leisure time on low-skill activities may be suboptimal. But if you want to spend a little more of your free time on high-skill activities, here are a few things you can try.

Tip 1: Set a five-minute timer

This is a classic psychology trick to tackle difficult tasks. Because sitting down to start is often the hardest part, tell yourself that you will spend five minutes on the activity and then you're free to quit once the timer is finished. Sit down to practice the guitar for five minutes, and I’m willing to bet you end up playing for much longer (although you are contractually free to quit!).

Tip 2: Think long term

Try focusing on long-term success over short-term comfort. Nobody (including yourself) will be impressed by how good you are at scrolling TikTok in a year, but they might be impressed when you can order food at a restaurant fluently in a foreign language on your trip to Europe. Focus on a concrete goal you could realistically achieve after a few months of deliberate practice, along with the personal or social pride you would feel achieving this goal.

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Tip 3: Be willing to quit

A key point to remember is that hobbies should be enjoyable. Passion and interest may develop as your expertise grows, but you will never get past first base if an inherent interest in the activity is lacking. If you find yourself dreading spending time on a hobby, it is time to pivot to something else that naturally sparks your childlike curiosity.