How Leisure Activities Can Promote You Professionally

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In a competitive economy, consumers and potential employers are faced with a variety of choices. When selecting a product, service, or potential new employee, they look for more than experience; they also value credibility and competence. In perceiving these traits, all of us consider more than credentials; we are influenced by someone’s leisure activities and hobbies as well. Research explains.

Reading Beyond the Resume

Michelle E. Daniels et al. (2025) investigated the value of accessing and evaluating holistic information about service providers in a piece entitled “What Do You Do Outside of Work?”[i] They found that disclosing leisure activities enhanced perceptions of competence, positively impacting potential consumers.

Daniels et al. begin by recognizing that consumers today have access to more holistic and inclusive information about providers they are considering hiring or working with, such as designers and realtors. This information includes not only a professional portfolio, but also how providers spend their free time. Daniels et al. note that while some might think leisure time activities are unrelated to professional ability, they actually found that disclosing leisure activities was linked with “eudaimonic” well-being, manifest as experiencing fulfillment or finding meaning. They cite cooking and hiking as examples of activities that can have a positive impact on consumer choice.

Daniels et al. also found that leisure time disclosures, when compared to not disclosing or disclosing less eudaimonic activities such as relaxing or watching television, result in higher perceptions of competence, leading to a greater willingness to support and employ such individuals.

The Professional Allure of Personal Leisure

Daniels et al. demonstrated through five studies that what some people might consider irrelevant personal information about professional providers can actually positively impact consumer choice. Their research included specific examples.

In an advertising context, they found that consumers were more likely to click on an ad showcasing a service provider describing her eudaimonic leisure activities than an ad without that type of information. Dealing with students, they found that consumers demonstrated a greater willingness to support the professional pursuits of students who disclosed eudaimonic leisure preferences, compared to students who disclosed less or no eudaimonic leisure.

Daniels et al. also found that consumers who expected to rely on someone else were more likely to choose to work with individuals who disclosed more rather than less eudaimonic leisure—a choice that was mediated by competence. In their final two studies they showed that the link between eudaimonic leisure and consumer choice is mainly driven by perceptions of competence, rather than authentic, openness, warmth, or what they describe as cultural capital.

Balancing Professional With Personal

In one of the most impactful parts of their research, Daniels et al. describe the people who are in a position to benefit most from their research: people just beginning their professional lives or changing careers—transitioning to an area where they lack essential indicators of competence. In these situations, they suggest that simple strategies such as disclosing eudaimonic leisure activities may help individuals with limited experience distinguish themselves from the pack of other job candidates.

Apparently, successful marketing appears to involve showcasing positive personal pursuits in a fashion that will capture the interest of consumers and employers. Whether connecting through curiosity or capitalizing on common ground, individuals benefit from sharing information about themselves both professionally and personally.