I am a software engineer by profession and have done nothing else in professional life so far. That's how I have been earning my living. Besides my profession, I have few other interests in life, and I believe all of us do.For example, I like to read about and explore astronomy, although am not well equipped to do that yet. That's one of my hobbies.

How do people develop specific interests and particular hobbies? This is a big question that has been going on in my mind for ages. I may find many who share the same hobby as me, but many more will not. Similarly, I may not have the slightest of interest in someone else's hobby, although the enthusiasts may go to any limit to fulfil their hobby.

It can not always be monetary reward that attracts a person to take up something. In general, hobbies do not reward monetarily (may cost in turn), but provide a higher level of satisfaction to a person.

I still have no answers on why someone has hobby A and someone else B. Possible causes could be (just my thoughts):

1. A combination of schooling, environment at home and exposure to media;
2. Inherent in grey cells;
3. Imitation / emulation of successful people.

I am leaving this post open ended to see if I may find more enlightenment through comments. What, in your opinion, are the causes of a person developing a particular hobby?