To be happier, find a ‘hands-on’ hobby.
Neuroscientist Dr. Kelly Lambert says that baking, gardening, woodworking and other manual activities release the natural antidepressants serotonin and dopamine. This 'effort-driven' reward circuit is a holdover from the days when our ancestors had to use their hands to fill their stomachs. And even though it’s a lot easier to buy bread, you can’t buy that awesome feeling of pulling your own homemade loaves out of the oven.
And that’s why a ‘hands-on’ hobby will make you feel awesome.