It's hard to explain all the benefits cycling provides to those who have never gotten into it. A kind of ironic story is that, as I have become obsessed with cycling, that obsession (and some things my dog was doing) led my wife and I to seek counseling. It's not that anything was really -wrong- with our relationship, it's that the two of us both want to keep our relationship truly -great-. So anytime things don't feel perfect, we do something about it. So we start with a counselor, and lo-and-behold when he was in his 40's and into his 50's (he is approaching 70 now) he was an avid racer. We're talking 5:00am hammerfests in the dark with his friends, weeknight carb-loading and leg massage sessions at his house, etc. When we met him, I just looked at Ann and smiled. But to cut to the chase, when I went on about how I wanted to be fit, and all the benefits that had for both of us, he called me on it. He said "You don't want to be fit, you want to be an athlete, which is far different. You WILL become fit, fitter than you have ever been in your life, but don't pretend that is your goal. You could become fit without doing all you are doing."
Double-edged sword, that experience of his. And he was absolutely right. We have now 'graduated' from his counseling. I've promised to get my honey-do list items done, and fill in any holes my dog digs, and so long as I do, she is cool with my indulging my cycling obsession. Cycling has absolutely helped my mental health. The other side of that is that, when I don't ride for whatever reason, my mental attitude slips. Counselor says that if I keep at it, I can get to the point where, even if I stop riding, those mental health benefits will be retained. I hope I don't need to validate that any time soon. Three days of no riding is my current limit, mentally.
From talking to people, and reading here, most of us derive similar benefits from cycling, and there is a common path us newbies follow to find the approach that works for us. I've learned I need to push pretty hard to get what I want from cycling. I did a year of commuting and at the start, I would hope for lights to turn red so I could rest. Then I started lengthening the commute, and eventually got the road bike and started riding on weekends. Now I have a "need for speed" I need to fulfill to feel, well, fulfilled. So I'm 'training' on a lot of my rides, like yesterday's 70 mile base session. That doesn't mean I don't also get to appreciate my surroundings - I'm seeing parts of the city (and ajacent towns!) I never would have seen otherwise, and I feel 'in touch' with those areas as I ride them. I can smell what's cooking at the neighborhood hangouts and flea markets, and that's a wonderful experience.
While there is a lot of conformity in cycling, it's also a classic "It's your thang" activity.