Many people turn to hobbies for relaxation, but a new study suggests that actively shaping them, with goals, learning opportunities, and social connections, can enhance creativity and a sense of purpose at work. This approach, known as leisure crafting, may also improve emotional well-being, particularly for older adults.
“The most consistent finding of our intervention study was that leisure crafting has the potential to enhance work benefits (i.e., meaning at work and employee creativity) rather than non-work benefits; showcasing leisure crafting as an organizational asset,” the researchers write.
Previous research has shown that hobbies contribute to overall well-being, but less is known about their direct impact on job performance. Studies have linked committed leisure activities to better life satisfaction and even career proactivity, prompting experts to explore whether these benefits extend to the workplace.
This latest investigation, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, builds on that foundation. Researchers conducted a five-week online intervention with working adults in the Netherlands, aiming to test if encouraging leisure crafting could improve both personal and professional outcomes.
The team, led by Paraskevas Petrou at Erasmus University Rotterdam, analyzed data from 462 participants divided into two groups. One group received the intervention, which involved watching a short video on leisure crafting and creating a personal development plan focused on their hobbies. They set goals, sought learning experiences, and built connections through activities like sports, creative pursuits, or intellectual hobbies. Weekly reflections helped them track progress. The control group simply completed surveys without any guidance.
Activities varied, but the emphasis was on a proactive mindset rather than the hobby itself. For instance, someone singing in a choir might set a goal to learn a new song, practice to improve skills, and connect with fellow members for inspiration.
The results showed that participants in the intervention group reported greater increases in leisure crafting behaviors compared to the control group. More notably, they experienced boosts in work-related areas: higher creativity, such as generating novel ideas on the job, and a stronger sense of meaning at work, feeling their roles contributed to personal growth.
How does this happen? The researchers draw on enrichment theory, which suggests positive experiences in one area of life can transfer to another. Hobbies pursued with intention build resources like optimism and new perspectives, which employees then apply at work. For example, learning a skill in a leisure activity might spark innovative thinking during tasks, or forming bonds could inspire better collaboration.
In addition, the intervention had a positive effect on emotional well-being—but only among participants older than 61. This aligns with socioemotional selectivity theory, which proposes that as people age, they prioritize meaningful experiences and quality relationships, making structured hobbies especially rewarding.
“Our intervention study was the first to be conducted among a mature working population and to demonstrate that leisure crafting can be understood, learned, and displayed by employees,” the team notes.
The findings were less clear for other non-work outcomes, like overall life meaning or sense of community, where no significant differences emerged between groups. The researchers speculate this might be because participants already scored relatively high in these areas at the start, leaving less room for improvement, or because the intervention’s goal-setting focus resonated more with work contexts.
Still, the study has limitations. It relied on self-reported data, which can introduce bias, and the short duration might not capture longer-term effects. Dropout rates were higher among those with lower initial well-being, potentially skewing results. Larger, longer trials could clarify which hobby types work best and for whom.
“Leisure crafting has the potential to positively affect people’s work lives and can serve as an effective organizational tool to help older employees sustain satisfactory affective well-being.”
Citations
P. Petrou et al. The leisure crafting intervention: Effects on work and non-work outcomes and the moderating role of age. Human Relations. Published online January 8, 2026. DOI: 10.1177/00187267251407641
