Maintaining favorite pastimes as you age could play a surprisingly powerful role in preserving independence.
Many of us think of leisure activities—such as gardening, reading, or walking with friends—as ways to take a breather and enjoy life. But staying active in favorite hobbies isn’t just good for your mood, as research years in the making recently unveiled a possible connection between our chosen pastimes and the likelihood of disability in aging adults.
In a new study published in the Journal of Global Health in October 2025, a team of Chinese scientists that found that people who maintained or increased their involvement in leisure activities were significantly less likely to develop difficulty with daily tasks. The results came after the examination of approximately two decades of data from more than 11,000 adults ages 60 and older.
The 11,627 study participants, who were enrolled via the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, were initially “free of disability.” Researchers then tracked the progress of these individuals for years to see how changes in their leisure activities related to later disability in activities of daily living—further described in the study as basic functions such as eating, dressing, bathing, and moving around. Participants were grouped based on whether they kept up a high level of leisure activity, increased it over time, decreased it, or stayed at a low level.
The results were striking: compared with those who maintained low activity levels, people who kept up a high level of leisure engagement were about 38% less likely to develop disability. Even those who increased their activity participation saw a roughly 34% lower risk. Over the follow-up period, around 3,700 people developed disabilities with activities of daily living.
Three activities were identified as particularly beneficial:
- Involvement in outdoor activities
- Caring for pets
- Social pastimes like playing cards or mahjong
The study’s text provides more insight into the potential “whys” behind the impact of these hobbies. For example, outdoor activities can encourage better mobility and increase vitamin D exposure, while keeping a pet can help reduce a sense of loneliness. The authors also note that interests such as playing cards and mahjong have an accessible, community-based role in daily life in Chinese culture.
The findings held even after researchers adjusted for factors such as age, sex, education, health conditions, and lifestyle habits. And in both short-term and long-term follow-ups, active participants consistently fared better than their less engaged peers.
Concluded the study: “Given that 57.62% of our participants were over 80 years old, our findings suggest that engaging in [lifestyle activities] can yield benefits even in later stages of life.”
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