As millions of us embark on New Year pledges to eat better, exercise more and learn something new, research published today suggests hobbies could do more than improve your personal life, they could make you better at work. 

 

The study by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Erasmus University Rotterdam explored how ‘leisure crafting’ - intentionally shaping your free time through goal setting, learning and connection - does not just boost well-being outside the office but can spill over into creativity, engagement, and meaning at work, especially for older employees. 

Entrepreneurs driven by independence and creativity are far more likely to feel satisfied with their lives than those motivated by status or money, according to new research from King’s Business School, King’s College London.

A large-scale register-based study conducted at the University of Oulu, Finland, shows that the propensity of top corporate executives to engage in financial misconduct is strongly associated with the financial crime history of their parents, spouses, and their childhood living environment.

Every year, companies lose billions of kroner when goods are copied or illegally resold. But a new digital and legally binding fingerprint developed at the University of Copenhagen makes products impossible to counterfeit. Royal Copenhagen is among the first brands in the world to use the solution.

Money talks, and new research from Northwestern University suggests it often speaks louder than an American voter’s commitment to democratic norms. The new study from the Center for Communication & Public Policy examined how U.S. residents conceptualize democracy and whether their support for democratic principles remains consistent when financial issues and other trade-offs are considered. Researchers found that support for democratic principles is far more conditional than traditional surveys suggest and declines substantially when economic hardship is taken into account. 

Erik Katovich, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, published a study in The Economic Journal proving the validity of a common belief: large landowners use their money to influence local politics to benefit their operations. Katovich’s study showed that large landholders in the Amazon who donate to winning municipal politicians, like a mayor, are more likely to develop soybean farming on their properties than those who donate to a losing candidate.