Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, and Satya Nadella feel their hobbies make them more successful. Science says they’re right

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says playing cricket taught him lessons about teamwork and leadership—put your team first, and bring out the best in other people—that have stayed with him throughout his career. Richard Branson says spending several hours a day doing physical activities he enjoys actually expands his day by making him more energetic and productive. Warren Buffett says playing bridge is “the best exercise there is for the brain,” since each turn forces you to continually adapt to new information and circumstances. Granted, that goes against conventional wisdom. To many, achieving remarkable success requires going all in—no distractions, no diversions, laser-focus on the prize. But maybe not. A study of more than 5,000 entrepreneurs over a 15-year period published in the Academy of Management Journal found the startups of people who kept their day jobs were 33 percent less likely to fail than those who went all in. A study of more than 6,000 athletes published in PLOS One found that world-class athletes typically play a variety of sports before choosing one. (As reporter David Epstein writes in his 2019 book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, “Among …