A number of studies have looked at how family life can affect productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. However, there has been ___26___ little research on the influence of leisure activities. So Ciara Kelly and colleagues recruited 129 hobbyists to look at how the time spent on their hobbies ___27___ their work life.

The researchers found that when participants spent longer than ___28___ on their leisure activity, their belief in their ability to perform their job was strengthened. But this was only the ___29___ when they had a serious hobby that was dissimilar to their job, or when their hobby was similar to their work but they only did it ___30___. When their hobby was both serious and similar to their job, then spending more time on it actually decreased their work ___31___.

Why might that be? To maintain a serious hobby, people need to invest significant psychological resources, say the authors—so if the activity has the same kinds of demands as their work, they may be left ___32___ and unable to perform well at their job. But if their hobby is quite different from their career, it may not ___33___ in the same way but instead help them develop other knowledge and skills that can ___34___ their confidence at work. "Consider a scientist who is a keen rock climber,” says Kelly. "Since climbing is so far ___35___ from their day-to-day work activities, they can still recover from the demands of their job with plenty of resources."