Research, incidentally, shows that Scottish and other dancing groups is the hobby reported as giving the most pleasure. People on holiday are less irritable and tired, and one study showed that just watching a video of the wide open wilderness was enough to lower stress levels in its test subjects.
Pastimes are good for the social fabric, too.
Leisure groups do not have the hostility to outsiders which other social groupings tend to produce. People who follow soap operas report themselves happier than those that don't' Psychology, and society in general, then, has things to learn from leisure. Otherwise, since leisure's appeal relates to its expression of individual personality, there is no specific prescription for choosing music lessons over Morris Dancing. Happiness therapy encourages its clients to keep a diary over a month, listing all the enjoyable things they have done, and their mood at the end of each day. It should include physical exercise, with its clear benefits for both the mind and the body.