PTE Reading MC Multiple Answers: When does a hobby or pastime, or whatever you want to call what you do in your leisure …

When does a hobby or pastime, or whatever you want to call what you do in your leisure time for rest and relaxation, cease to be a hobby or a pastime and become something a bit more serious, such as something you realize can be turned into financial gain or an obsession that can mess up your life as much as any other addiction? The whole point of them, of course, is that they are done out of personal interest and for pleasure and enjoyment, not for financial gain. Most people’s hobbies turn out to be easy and stress-free pastimes such as collecting things, making things, sports, playing a musical instrument, reading, and so on. And – so it is claimed – they are good for you, too. Pursuing a hobby can have calming and helpful beneficial effects. For a start, it can take your mind off your problems, and the more interests you have, the more you enjoy life. One way in which the subject becomes a little bit serious is when you are applying for a job and writing out your curriculum vitae, or resume. There’s invariably a section which asks what your outside interests are, and because getting a job is a serious business, and you want to impress your prospective employers, you might find yourself claiming that you like nothing better at weekends than being flown by helicopter to the top of the Alps and then making your way home by snowboard and hang-glider. Perhaps people find themselves doing this because they feel that applying for a job and corning across well at an interview is a test of character and being an aficionado of extreme sports is a lot cooler than stamp collecting. But why turn what is supposed to be calming and relaxing into a cause for anxiety?