Wondering if blogging counts as a hobby?

The average scientist is about as likely to have a hobby as any member of the public.  However, eminent scientists (members of the Royal Society or National Academy of Sciences) are nearly twice as likely to have one.  Nobel Prize-wining scientists?  Almost three times as likely.  Steven Johnson found the same thing holds true for geniuses of the past, like  Benjamin Franklin and Charles Darwin.  These guys had lots of hobbies.  Facing different challenges in different contexts allowed them to look at things differently, to challenge assumptions, and to realize breakthroughs.  Getting lots of different ideas crashing together turns out to be one of the keys to creativity.

-Eric Barker, Barking Up The Wrong Tree:  The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong