21 Hobbies That INTPs Love
Are you an INTP looking for new ways to indulge your curiosity or tap into your creative side? Since our Myers-Briggs® personality types describe the way our minds work it makes sense that people with the same type might have similar interests. With that in mind, I took to online forums and spoke with INTP friends to get an idea of what their favorite free-time activities really were! So, let’s begin! What are the best hobbies for INTPs? Read on to find out.
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Hobbies for INTPs:
1. Browsing the Internet
Ever lost hours to Wikipedia rabbit holes? You’re not alone. INTPs tend to be curious people, and browsing the internet is one way to engage that curiosity. It’s fun to follow rabbit trails across different websites while learning new information and observing the strangeness of life.
2. Crafting
INTPs often love hobbies that engage their hands and minds simultaneously. From woodworking and leather crafting to glassblowing and crochet, these activities allow for creativity and problem-solving. There’s something satisfying about creating something tangible from scratch.
3. Computer Hobbies
Quite a few INTPs talk about enjoying computer-related activities, especially those that are creative in some way. These include things like programming, 3-D rendering, and data analytics. Some also enjoy building and repairing computers.
4. Design
One nickname for INTPs is “The Architect,” and many enjoy design-related hobbies. Depending on the INTP, they might gravitate toward on-paper projects, building physical models, computer-assisted design, and/or 3-D printing.
5. Doing Nothing
Finally, a hobby where procrastination counts as practice! Many INTPs enjoy using part of their free time to do absolutely nothing. Modern society is so fast-paced that it doesn’t always leave time for introverts to just stop, recharge, and think without outside pressure. This hobby makes room for doing that without expectations of accomplishing anything tangible.
6. Exercise
INTPs are often stereotyped as lazy, but that doesn’t stop many INTPs from enjoying very active hobbies. Hiking, running, kayaking, bicycling, rock climbing, and weightlifting are just a few examples of active hobbies that INTPs may enjoy.
7. Exploring
INTPs often jump from one hobby, thought, or activity to another fairly rapidly. Many have a wide range of interests and hate being bored. Rather than sticking with just a few specific hobbies, INTPs might explore a wide variety of activities and interests.
8. Languages
INTPs often enjoy learning new languages. It’s a challenging hobby, but one that many enjoy and are very good at. I know one INTP who studies several languages at once, and I’ve seen others who’ve worked their way one at a time through learning multiple languages.
9. Learning and Research
I touch on this hobby in other points on this list, but “Browsing the Internet” isn’t the only way INTPs learn and “Science” isn’t their only area of interest. INTPs often enjoy reading non-fiction, talking with interesting and knowledgeable people, and taking classes related to a wide variety of interests. Some also enjoy hands-on research and experimentation, even if it’s just saying something off-the-wall to observe how other people respond.
10. Meditation
INTPs often have very active minds. Meditation is a way for them to slow down, observe their thoughts, and find focus. Many also enjoy yoga as a hobby that’s related to this.
11. Music
Making and/or listening to music is one of the hobbies INTPs talk about fairly consistently. Subcategories of this hobby can include attending concerts, listening to music, playing the piano or other instruments, writing music, remixing songs, and producing music.
12. Photography
INTPs often enjoy photography as a hobby. It’s one of the artistic pursuits that come up the most frequently when INTPs on the internet start talking about which hobbies they enjoy best.
13. Reading
Many INTPs enjoy reading, and not just related to their interest in research. They also love reading fiction. It’s a great way to escape from the world and engage their creative, imaginative side.
14. Science
The “mad scientist” stereotype exists for a reason. INTPs often enjoy conducting experiments—whether they’re studying physics, dabbling in astronomy, or testing out their latest hypothesis
15. Spending Time in Nature
Getting out in nature is a favorite hobby of all the introverted, intuitive types. It’s a great way of engaging with and appreciating the physical world. Fishing, hiking, or sitting on a park bench are just a few examples of this INTP hobby.
16. Strategy Games
Games like chess, Civilization, or Age of Empires are favorites among INTPs. They enjoy the challenge of analyzing patterns, making decisions, and outsmarting opponents.
17. Thinking
INTPs enjoy being lost in thought, and many carve out time for thinking the same way other people carve-out time for hobbies like team sports or book clubs.
18. Travel
INTPs often have a touch of wanderlust, enjoying the exploration of new places and cultures. They approach travel as a chance to learn and experience life from a fresh perspective.
19. Video Games
Solo, strategy-driven games are popular among INTPs. Titles like Skyrim, Portal, or The Witcher offer a mix of creativity, exploration, and problem-solving.
20. Watching Movies and TV
Watching films and TV is a good way for INTPs to relax and chill. It’s one of the hobbies that provides a good distraction from everything that’s going on inside their minds.
21. Writing
Whether it’s poetry, fiction, or thought-provoking essays, INTPs often find joy in translating their inner world into words. Many also enjoy world-building and storytelling, even if their creations never leave the pages of their journals.
Your Turn:
What hobbies do you love as an INTP? Share your favorites in the comments or find out much more about your personality type in Personality Hacker’s INTP eCourse!
Other Articles You Might Enjoy:
What It Means to be an INTP Personality Type
Here’s Why INFPs and INTPs Get Misunderstood
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About the Author:
Marissa Baker is the author of The INFJ Handbook (available in the Amazon Kindle Store). You can find her online at LikeAnAnchor.com where she blogs about personal growth and development from a Christian perspective.
I do like reading, studying, thinking, travelling, but even though I enjoy music, I like it as a background. I’m unable to focus on it even when I try. I just get carried away in my thoughts.
Very, very accurate for the most part. I never got into video games or games in general. I get bored quickly, and since I’d rather solve real problems I see games as a waste of time. There are plenty of problems to solve out there! I feel relieved that doing nothing is listed, because I often do just that: nothing. It recharges my batteries like nothing else. Overall, a very solid list. I guess If I had to add anything, solving problems would be number one. Either my problem, or someone else’s. Ask my wife, I don’t hesitate to stop in the street, at the store or anywhere else if I see someone standing there trying to figure something out. I immediately jump in, help them solve their problem or at least get them in the right direction. I’m not sure if anything else gives me more joy like helping others solve difficult problems. I don’t know if it’s my aura, but I literally have strangers walk up to me and say you look like someone who can help me, could you help me. That is no joke. Whether it’s personal, at my job or something else. I wish I could have a job full-time where all I do is so problem. I guess I kind of do, I do research and development for the U.S. Coast Guard. So I guess I am a professional problem solver and away. Great article!
The point where it’s written that INTPs prefer to do nothing is extremely relatable in my case..also I agree that there are a lot of ideas in our head that we do not always pen down..
I think the only thing, for me, that wasn’t on the list, was drawing and other art-related activities.
Well as an INTP…. I do have many of these as hobbies…… Although one of my all time favorites wasn’t exactly included. I love to draw. It helps me explore my creativity and gives me some alone time to ponder on thoughts or brainstorm stuff I write about (mostly because I spend most of my time drawing on autopilot)
Any hobbies for lazy people with absolutely no money? Because I’m one of those people. That’d be nice 😉
I’m easily bored. I hate coloring and being creative, moving around, not being under a blanket, using tech (sometimes) loud noises, bright colors, and a LOT more. Anyone got a hobby I could try? ????
puzzles
Maybe you could be an ISTP 😀
Maybe you’re an HSP – a Highly Sensitive Person! If so and you’re easily bored you may need to explore and find things that engage your mind just enough (or even relax you) rather than being overstimulating. I see that it’s been almost 4 years since you posted so hopefully you’ve made some self-discoveries in the meantime.
As an intp my hobbies are are science related research such as engineering, astro-physics & video games
Maybe you could be an ISTP 😀
I know an INTP who loves video games, browsing down an internet rabbit hole, etc. but generally has painfully few hobbies and I wonder if he would find any of these interesting…
I’m an INTP and some of these are my hobbies. However, I think the list is very general and can be applicable to any of the MBTI personality types.
Drawing… my main hobby and is mostly imaginative… whether it be a life drawing, abstract, it just has to be from my imagination.
I haven’t been so much as opportuned to try out video games, so I am quite weary on that one
And science😬, I solely prefer the practicals to theoretical aspects of science.
But overall, this is quite accurate. Impressive👏
this is very accurate and prob written by a fellow intp
I would say problem solving is one of my hobbies yet I don’t know how many intp enjoy that
I wish I could play chess, but thinking through each of a bazillion possibilities takes too long and is too hard to keep up with for me to be a strategist. My husband bought me the game “Wingspan” a few Christmases ago and I like it but he’s much better at it than I am. I suppose being unable to think much beyond the here and now and yet being bored with the mundane is the reason I’m unemployed.
I am old, and have greatly enjoyed many of these hobbies over the years.
Currently I enjoy finding new ideas solving Suduko, and for years I have greatly enjoyed solving the Rubick’s cube. I even devised a fun solution that relies only on intuition; no algorithms. Not the fastest method (as an old man, I don’t care), but not at all boring even after many years and thousands of successful solutions .
As an INTP, I love baking and it gives me absolute control over everything.