Which Hobbies Are The Sexiest?

If you ever worry that your hobbies aren’t sexy enough, we now how scientific research to either confirm or abate your fears. That’s right, an actual study was conducted to determine which hobbies are the sexiest.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania set out to determine the role of creativity in mate selection. They surveyed 815 ethnically diverse undergrads on what types of creative behaviors they found sexy. First the undergrads were asked to report which type of creativity they found most attractive, ornamental/aesthetic, applied/technological, or everyday/domestic creativity. Both males and females preferred ornamental/aesthetic creativity in a potential mate to the other two categories. Next, the subjects were asked to rate how attractive they found an array of creative activities, including “renovating old and antique objects,” “styling your hair in an interesting way,” and “inventing new recipes.”

The women surveyed overwhelmingly preferred men who played sports, took them on spontaneous road trips, recorded music, and made clever remarks (er, as a hobby). The men also favored women who took a date on spontaneous road trips and played sports, but were also attracted to women who danced and dressed in a unique style. So, what’s the least sexy hobby you can do? The subjects were not hot-to-trot on technological creativity, and both sexes were minimally attracted to those who wrote original computer programs, developed scientific experimental designs, or constructed scientific or technical objects. That’s right, subjects found renovating antiques sexier than entering projects into a science contest or even writing articles…I guess I’m in the wrong field!

So while conventional wisdom holds strong — rock stars are sexier than tech stars— the researchers note that what we find sexy is also a very personal preference. Though society and culture cue us to find certain attributes attractive, that doesn’t mean that you won’t fall head over heels for the girl in the marching band. After all, the sexiest thing that you can do is to be yourself.

For a very entertaining chart ranking the sexiness of hobbies, click here.

Image: Universal Pictures