I tried Denmark's No. 1 secret to happiness for a year. It truly changed my life—and even made me more confident

SuccessLindsay Lohan: This morning routine keeps me motivated and ductiveLeadershipShe started focusing on happiness over perfection—now she's a world championPsychology and RelationshipsI was diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago—'almost dying' taught me 7 'hard' life lessonsHealth and Wellness51-year-old who left New York for a small, remote town: 'It did wonders for my happiness'Health and WellnessThe life-changing advice my therapist gave—it's made me happier and less burned outAleksandarNakic | Getty ImagesFor over four years, I've been a fessor at Emory University's Goizueta School

Before that, I worked in the corporate world at organizations Coca-Cola and IBM

Recently, for work, I went to Denmark, one of the world's happiest countries, to teach a course called "Happiness Blue. " While there, I discovered what many had learned before me: Hobbies are integral to life in Denmark

From cycling to sewing, I watched Danes find joy in the everyday outside of work

When I returned to the U. , I thought hobbies could be the answer to help me take a break from my Type-A brain

Last year, I decided to put that theory to the test

I up trying 17 hobbies over the course of one year — baking, cold plunging, collage-making, embroidery, golf, DIY, horseback riding, jewelry making, mahjong, ornament making, painting, pickleball, pottery, rock climbing, sewing, tennis, and woodworking

I came away from my experiment, stronger, braver, and more confident

After a year, I was fundamentally changed

I kicked my doomscrolling habit To make space for my hobby experiment, I had to find time — something I assumed I didn't have as a busy working mom

Surprisingly, there were pockets of time everywhere, particularly once I gave up my evening habit of watching TV while half-working and doomscrolling on a second screen

When your hands are covered in flour, holding a paintbrush, or gripping a climbing wall, your phone is simply unavailable

I realized I had more agency and less stress when I was putting my energy towards learning new skills, rather than getting pulled under by an algorithm on social media

I learned how to my joy for the futureI loved woodworking, but it comes with a hefty startup cost and isn't compatible with small kids underfoot

Ironically, a friend of a friend who'd heard my experiment invited me to his woodshop, and a few months later, I gave woodworking another shot

This time, instead of feeling overwhelmed, I realized woodworking is a "not-right-now" hobby for me

I can picture a future where the kids are older, we've stocked the garage with tools, and we're building bookshelves for our dream library together

Try hobbies even if they don't fit your current season of life

You can them for later

I realized that one person's work is another's stress reliefAs a mother to two young kids, one of the most triggering questions in my life is, "What are we eating. " For me, anything in the kitchen is considered work

But when I spent time with Sophie, a senior at Emory, I found that each of us finds stress relief from different activities

For her, baking was the furthest thing from work

It helped her decompress from the grind of being a student

Indeed, I also found baking to be methodical and soothing

The activity was quiet in a way that my family dinner prep was not, and my efforts led to a delicious treat at the end

Once I thought hobbies in this light, I understood that DIY was a hobby for me, but it was work for others

If you do something consistently and find joy in it, go ahead and call it a hobby

I changed my definition of 'self-care'For a long time, I had regular manicures, facials, and lash appointments

I thought self-care would make me more balanced, but it created stress from having to be in more places at set times

There's nothing wrong with an occasional trip to the nail salon, but a few months into my experiment, I realized that rather than make one of these appointments in an attempt to soothe my brain, I was redirecting all my energy and free time into my hobbies

A general rule that resonates with me is you need one hobby for your brain, one hobby for creativity, and one hobby to keep you in shape

For me that became mahjong, DIY, and tennis

I felt less lonely America is facing a loneliness epidemic

But I'll tell you who isn't lonely: the hobbyists I met through my experiment

When I was invited to try horseback riding, I saw how tightly knit the barn community was

What struck me was people of all ages were brought together by their love of horses

When I spent time with rock-climbers, I heard how they swapped route info so other climbers could be successful

Each group of hobbyists has a community and they are actively forming relationships and identities outside of work

My tennis team has 20 moms

We have something 53 children under the age of 13 between us

Being with my teammates is always a reminder that I do have the time to pursue my hobbies

I stopped dreading small talk Every time I asked someone their hobby, they surprised me

I was once chatting with Emory's Dean of Admissions, who I knew as a no-nonsense fessional, when she d that her weekends are filled with competitive sailboat racing

Once people heard my experiment, I was freed from making small talk

Instead, I found myself in deep conversation with others, understanding who they were at their core, outside of obligations

Thanks to my year of hobbies, I feel I know the people in my life much better

Getting into a hobby is the No. 1 secret to happiness and balanceAll too often, I hear from my former students that they are experiencing burnout

They tell me that as soon as they find balance at work, they will get into a hobby

Unfortunately, balance doesn't work that

It's not a shiny pebble you find on your way to work

If you want balance, the secret is to get a hobby

You'll naturally be forced to define your boundaries: as a worker, as a parent, and as an individual

My experiment has come to an end, but hobbies are still an integral part of my life

I'm on a tennis team, I have a standing Mahjong game and I'm learning golf alongside my kids

The other night, while lying in bed, my 7-year old turned to me and said, "I have so many hobbies. " That's when I knew, without question, I was modeling something very right

Marina Cooley is an Assistant fessor in the Practice of Marketing at Emory's Goizueta School and a P&W 40 under 40 Best MBA fessor

She is the author of the Substack "fessor Off Duty. " To get more of her insights on work/life balance, find Marina on Instagram @marinacooley

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