The world is opening back up after quarantines and shelter-in-place orders. Most of us are now free to leave our homes, even though we’re being asked to social distance. Still, things aren’t entirely back to normal and many of us find we have some extra free time on our hands this summer. Large social events like concerts and festivals are canceled, we can’t go to movie theaters, and it might be hard to get together with friends.

Maybe now is a good time to try out a new hobby. I’ve been writing a series of posts for Psychology Junkie about 21 hobbies each Myers-Briggs® type loves. For this post here on my blog, though, I’m just going to suggest one for each type. I’ll skip the more common hobbies like reading, music, and art (which people of every personality type enjoy) and focus on some that are a bit more unique.

The hobby I chose for each type is one that I’ve seen at least one or two people of that type talk about enjoying, though it’s usually not common enough it would appear on a list of top 5 hobbies for that type. My hope is that you’ll find some suggestions you’re intrigued by but haven’t tried yet. Also, don’t hesitate to borrow a hobby suggestion from one of the other types. Who knows; you might find that hobbies other people love give you a fun new experience.

ENFJ — Local Exploration

Many ENFJs enjoy meeting new people, but something you might not have thought of is how much fun it could be to “meet” new places. Travel and exploration is a favorite hobby of some ENFJs, and you can even do that close to home. I’m pretty sure there are at least a few small towns, parks, tourist attractions, or other intriguing locations in your local area that you haven’t explored yet.

INFJ — Target Practice

This is the hobby that surprised me most when I was researching how other INFJs spend their free time. I came across several INFJs talking about how much they enjoyed archery, skeet shooting, and related hobbies. Most mentioned that they shoot at targets rather than going hunting. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised considering how intrigued I am by archery. So if you’re an INFJ looking for a new hobby, perhaps you’ll want to give this one a try.

Further reading: 21 Hobbies That INFJs Love

ESFJ — Dance

One of my best friends is an ESFJ ballroom dance instructor. I’ve also seen other ESFJs talk about how much they love dance, and it might be something you’d enjoy as well. You don’t have to get into couples dancing to enjoy this hobby if you don’t want to (or if studios in your area are still closed). Maybe try out some traditional dances like Irish clogging or bellydance, or check into modern lyrical dance. There are so many different styles and types of dance that there’s a very good chance you’ll find one you enjoy.

ISFJ — Terrarium Making

Many ISFJs enjoy hands-on hobbies like gardening and crafting. Put those two together, and one of the hobbies you can end up with is making terrariums. According to Hobby Nerd, a terrarium “is a collection of plants and other objects in a single container.” They can be simple, such as putting several succulents in one large container, or more challenging, such as growing plants in a closed bottle. I just recently made one of the succulent ones myself and it looks so cute.

ENFP — Puzzles

Most ENFPs crave new and interesting things that can hold their attention. Puzzles in all their forms can be a fun hobby to try out. Word puzzles (like crosswords), logic and math puzzles (like Sudoku), mechanical puzzles (like a rubric’s cube), and brain teaser apps can all be part of a fun and challenging puzzle hobby to keep your active ENFP mind engaged.

INFP — Cosplay

INFPs often enjoy imaginative, creative hobbies. Cosplay lets them bring their imagination to life and hits on several interests shared by many INFPs including fiction, costume design, acting, and crafts. If you’re an INFP looking for a new hobby, you might enjoy bringing one of your favorite fictional characters to life through cosplay. Also, you can be interested in cosplay even if you don’t enjoy the spotlight. Some INFPs enjoy the artistic side of making character costumes even if they choose not to wear them out in public.

Further reading: 21 Hobbies That INFPs Love

ESFP — Storytelling

Storytelling is something a lot of ESFPs are good at, but you might not have considered turning it into a hobby. Telling stories as a hobby could take the form of writing or verbal storytelling. I could picture this hobby turning into a great new blog, podcast, and/or YouTube channel. Maybe you write your own stories and tell them, or you turn real-life into a fun story telling opportunity, or you could re-tell your favorite stories from myths, legends, and classics.

ISFP — Aquarium Keeping

Many ISFPs have a love for animals. They’re also known for have a creative, artistic side. Aquarium keeping can be a fun and rewarding hobby that lets you craft beautiful homes for fish, life plants, snails, shrimp, and more. If you’ve never thought of aquariums as an artistic hobby, look up aquascaping on Pinterest or Google. You can do amazing things with an aquarium.

ENTJ — Tabletop RPGs

All personality types say they enjoy games of some sort, so you might already be an ENTJ with a gaming hobby. But if you haven’t tried tabletop RPGs yet, you could be missing out on a hobby you’d really enjoy. Whether you’re playing as a character, running a pre-written campaign as the Game Master, or creating new worlds and stories for your players, tabletop RPGs offer flexible and creative options for gaming. You can even play online through platforms like Roll20.

INTJ — Martial Arts

Most of the time when we think of INTJ hobbies, we probably think of things that involve logic or intellectual skills, like chess and researching. But many INTJs enjoy hobbies that challenge them physically as well as mentally. Martial arts, which often include a practice of self-discipline and self-mastery, can be especially appealing. This can include anything from archery to historical sword-fighting to taekwondo.

Further reading: 21 Hobbies That INTJs Love

ESTJ — Learn an Instrument

Music is a hobby that people from every personality type enjoy. As an ESTJ, you might not have considered trying to make music yourself. Learning an instrument can be a fun, challenging, creative practice. There’s also a practical side to this hobby, since learning to play a musical instrument is a great way to strengthen your mind by enhancing your memory, reading, and spatial reasoning skills.

ISTJ — Astronomy

Astronomy is described as a “learning hobby,” and that makes it the sort of thing that appeals to many Thinking personality types. It also involves discovery, spending time outdoors, and taking the time to ponder the universe beyond our own little sections of this world. If you’re the type of person who likes maps and study, you can dive into star charts and search your local library for astronomy books. You might also enjoy keeping a journal of what you see and learn.

ENTP — Gardening

At first glance, gardening might seem like too relaxed of a hobby for ENTPs but it’s one that many people with this personality type enjoy. If you’re an ENTP who hasn’t tried gardening yet you might like to give it a try. This could be as elaborate a project as landscaping around your home, or one as small as starting a container garden on your patio. Growing edible plants can also tie-in with another possible hobby, cooking.

INTP — Learning A Language

Learning a new language is a challenging hobby, but it’s one that many INTPs enjoy and are very good at. I even know one INTP who studies several languages at once. Not only can learning a new language help you communicate with people from other cultures, it also strengthens your intellect and challenges you to see things through a different perspective. For a bored INTP, learning a new language can be a stimulating and rewarding hobby that’s challenging enough to hold you interest.

Further reading: 21 Hobbies That INTPs Love

ESTP — Research

ESTPs are often stereotyped as being adrenaline-junkie hedonists, and many do enjoy hobbies that involve extreme sports and physical activity. But many ESTPs also enjoy researching and learning (though not necessarily in a formal academic environment). You can turn your curiosity about the world into a hobby by researching topics that interest you. Google Scholar is a great free resource that indexes a huge variety of scholarly literature, letting you research pretty much anything you can think of.

ISTP — Making Soaps and Candles

Many ISTPs enjoy hands-on crafts. You might already have a creative crafting hobby, but if not (or if you’d like to try out another one) then making soaps and candles can be a great place to start. There’s a lot of different types of soaps and/or candles you can make, giving you plenty of options for customizing this hobby. You’ll also be crafting something practical that you can use around the house or give away to friends and family.

 

Featured image credit: agnessatalalaev0 via Pixabay