Leisure satisfaction

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"Leisure refers to activities that a person voluntarily engages in when they are free from any work, social or familial responsibilities." [1] [2] Leisure satisfaction is the positive perceptions or feelings that an individual forms, elicits and gains as a result of engaging in leisure activities and choices. What can contribute to leisure satisfaction is to what degree an individual is currently satisfied with their leisure experiences and activities. An individual might attain positive feelings of contentment and happiness that result from the satisfaction of needs. [3] Participation in leisure activities and leisure satisfaction are inextricably linked to an individual's health. Caldwell suspects that leisure activities may be associated with a number of defensive traits that enhance a person's resiliency to negative life experiences. [1] [4] Some aspects of leisure activities that can act as protective factors include: "[the activity] being personally meaningful, intrinsically interesting and/or challenging; offering social support and friendships; contributing to a sense of competence and/or self efficacy; offering a sense of personal control, choice and self-determination; and being relaxing and/or distracting the individual from negative life events." [1] [4] Leisure activities, although ranging in types, have also proven to be beneficial to health cross-culturally. [5]

Contents

Subjective well-being

In a study by Hribernik and Mussap, leisure satisfaction was found to predict unique variance in life satisfaction, supporting its inclusion as a distinct life domain contributing to subjective well-being. [6] Additionally, relationship status interacted with age group and gender on differences in leisure satisfaction. The relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction, however, was reduced when considering the impact of core affect (underlying mood state). This suggests that leisure satisfaction may primarily be influenced by an individual's subjective well-being level as represented by core affect. This has implications for possible limitations in the extent to which leisure satisfaction may be improved beyond pre-existing levels of well-being and mood in individuals.

In another study published by Brajsa-Zagnec et al. in 2010, subjective well-being (SWB) was defined as a combination of an individual's emotional reactions, satisfaction with specific aspects of one's life, and satisfaction with one's whole life. Many studies have been conducted to determine what specific leisure activities are linked to SWB. Research identifies other groups of leisure activities ranging from three to eleven to sixteen groups. There is no overall agreement regarding what specific groups of leisure activities predict SWB, but some researchers agree that leisure activities contribute to SWB and that the relationship between the two is complex. [7]

Data was collected from a group of Croatian citizens ranging across various age groups. The participants estimated their SWB and time spent participating in leisure activities. These leisure activities included active socializing and going out (sports, going to clubs, eating dinner out etc.), visiting cultural events (reading books, going to concerts, going to movies etc.), and family and home activities (going to church, visiting family, watching television etc.). The results of the study found specific leisure activities to be a predictor of SWB across age groups. For people ages 31–60 participation in visiting cultural events, family leisure activities, and active socializing and going out contributed to SWB. A significant positive correlation was found between family leisure activities and SWB of men and women across different age groups. This study concluded that participation in leisure activities lead to SWB, though the importance of such specific leisure activities vary across different age and genders. Essentially, people may improve their SWB by participating in leisure activities, especially in family and home activities. [7]

Family leisure activities and quality of life

A study conducted by London et al. in 1977 was about job and leisure satisfaction contributing to quality of life (QOL). QOL was determined by asking the participants "How do you feel about your life as a whole" twice during the run of the study. As well, the participants were asked to fill out a survey that measured feelings about leisure, work, and life. It was found that activities that had to do with families and people they socialize with was significant to QOL. Overall non-job related activities (leisure activities) can be more important and a better predictor of QOL as opposed to variables of job related activities. People should consider the importance of the amount of time spent in leisure activities. [8]

Family leisure activities and family life satisfaction

In a study published by Agate et al. in 2009, participants required a child and parent from a family to fill out an online survey which measured the amount of involvement in family leisure activities and the satisfaction with involvement of family leisure activities. It was found that families' involvement in leisure activities is the best predictor for overall family life satisfaction, even more than the amount of time spent together. In early adolescent years, the amount and the satisfaction of family leisure experiences are important to the perceptions of satisfaction with family life that the adolescents will develop later on in life. In 2003, Zabriskie and McCormick, the study that Agate modeled his off of, also concluded that involvement in family leisure activities was the single strongest predictor of satisfaction with family life. As well, benefits of participation in family leisure activities are better communication skills among the family, better problem solving strategies, development of life and social skills, and better overall satisfaction with family life. Overall research has provided evidence for significant correlations between leisure satisfaction and satisfaction with family life. [9]

Leisure activities and marital satisfaction

Not much empirical data has been collected regarding leisure activities and marital satisfaction. But with the research that has been conducted, it has been found that leisure activities influence marital satisfaction positively. [10] Happily married men and women were likely to value spending time together, enjoy activities done together, and agree on recreation needs. Some research has focused on the compatibility between married couples and this influence on the types of leisure activities they choose and the relationship between their overall marital satisfactions. Some research that focused on the relationship between leisure companionship and marital satisfaction found these couples tended to participate in activities that both partners enjoyed. [11]

In a study published by Orthner et al. in 1975, the overall amount of time spent together in leisure activities is positively related to marital satisfaction for both males and females. Participants filled out a questionnaire measuring the pattern of interaction between spouses during leisure time and how much time is spent in individual, parallel, and joint leisure activities. It was found that wives spent more time alone in leisure activities than husbands across the marital career, but this individual participation was negatively correlated with marriage satisfaction. As well, the scores for marriage satisfaction were more stable for wives than husbands over time. Overall, this study concluded that the benefit of participating in leisure activities as a married couple is improved communication. Marital participation in leisure activities is the most critical during the first years of marriage and after 18–23 years of marriage when the marital relationship is reestablishing itself. [10]

Research regarding compatibility in spouses and the relationship between leisure activities and marital satisfaction have found that the couples who are less compatible are more prone to pursue leisure activities separately than highly compatible couples. This study concluded that the more spouses liked the leisure activities they were participating in, the higher their marital satisfaction was. Essentially the results of this study determined that couples participating in leisure activities together positively correlated with their marriage satisfaction. [11]

Psychological functioning

The importance of leisure activities has been studied in various aspects of life. One of the most prevalent aspects of life studied with importance of leisure satisfaction is for people with psychological issues. Some psychological issues can consist of common concerns such as stress or more complex concerns such as clinical disorders. Whether a person experiences stressors at work, through depression or brain injuries, leisure satisfaction may ease the stress regardless of the type. Stress in the workforce is a common issue many people face in their lifetime, however, leisure activities may help lower a person's stress levels and increase their satisfaction. When someone engages in enjoyable leisure activities, their moods tend to increase, which in turn, allows them to better accept everyday stressors. [1] When faced with difficult job situations one must be able to achieve adequate free time to truly enjoy their leisure activity of choice. Another important aspect of leisure activity is the type performed, whether is it an active or passive activity. In 2009, Joudrey & Wallace published a study that statistically found the importance of active leisure activity. Passive leisure activities were suggested to give workers an ability to "escape", which in end could cause depressive moods. However, workers participating in active leisure showed considerably higher levels of mental health. [1]

People with mental disabilities often lack the ability or confidence to participate in social events, such as leisure activities. However, studies such as the one published by Lloyd, King, Lampe, & McDougall in 2001 have been performed to prove the true importance of leisure among patients with mental disabilities. The results from their study showed a strong positive relationship between leisure satisfaction and the patients' met needs. [12] The results basically state that the more leisure patients experienced, the more likely they felt their social, education and psychological needs were met. The study concluded that leisure is as important for people with psychiatric disabilities as it is for the general public. As Lloyd et al. explained, the general public may view an event, such as a leisure activity, as unsatisfactory, but to a mental patient a leisure activity can greatly raise their average happiness. [12] Prvu conducted a study among brain injury patients. Results showed that patients involved in the leisure activity program that helped increase leisure skills and knowledge of community resources also provided patients with an increase in self-confidence and leisure participation, which in turn increased leisure satisfaction. [13] Leisure activity can be a significant factor in lowering a person's level of depressive symptoms. [14]

Related Research Articles

Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns".

In social psychology, an interpersonal relation describes a social association, connection, or affiliation between two or more persons. It overlaps significantly with the concept of social relations, which are the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences. Relations vary in degrees of intimacy, self-disclosure, duration, reciprocity, and power distribution. The main themes or trends of the interpersonal relations are: family, kinship, friendship, love, marriage, business, employment, clubs, neighborhoods, ethical values, support and solidarity. Interpersonal relations may be regulated by law, custom, or mutual agreement, and form the basis of social groups and societies. They appear when people communicate or act with each other within specific social contexts, and they thrive on equitable and reciprocal compromises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infidelity</span> Cheating, adultery, or having an affair

Infidelity is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and rivalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vacation</span> Leisure travel away from home or work

A vacation or holiday is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacations are often spent with friends or family. Vacations may include a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism.

An open relationship is an intimate relationship that is sexually non-monogamous. The term is distinct from polyamory, in that it generally indicates a relationship where there is a primary emotional and intimate relationship between two partners, who agree to at least the possibility of sexual or emotional intimacy with other people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intimate relationship</span> Physical or emotional intimacy

An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the members of the relationship mutually influence each other. The quality and nature of the relationship depends on the interactions between individuals, and is derived from the unique context and history that builds between people over time. Social and legal institutions such as marriage acknowledge and uphold intimate relationships between people. However, intimate relationships are not necessarily monogamous or sexual, and there is wide social and cultural variability in the norms and practices of intimacy between people.

The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.

Compassion fatigue is an evolving concept in the field of traumatology. The term has been used interchangeably with secondary traumatic stress (STS), which is sometimes simply described as the negative cost of caring. Secondary traumatic stress is the term commonly employed in academic literature, although recent assessments have identified certain distinctions between compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress (STS).

The economics of happiness or happiness economics is the theoretical, qualitative and quantitative study of happiness and quality of life, including positive and negative affects, well-being, life satisfaction and related concepts – typically tying economics more closely than usual with other social sciences, like sociology and psychology, as well as physical health. It typically treats subjective happiness-related measures, as well as more objective quality of life indices, rather than wealth, income or profit, as something to be maximized.

Contentment is a state of being in which one is satisfied with their current life situation, and the state of affairs in one’s love life as they presently are. If one is content, they are pleased with their situation and how the elements in one’s life are situated. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to be content with one’s life regardless of the circumstance, regardless of whether things are going as one expected or not.

Sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) is the difference between one's desired frequency of sexual intercourse and the actual frequency of sexual intercourse within a relationship. Among couples seeking sex therapy, problems of sexual desire are the most commonly reported dysfunctions, yet have historically been the most difficult to treat successfully. Sexual satisfaction in a relationship has a direct relationship with overall relationship satisfaction and relationship well-being. Sexual desire and sexual frequency do not stem from the same domains, sexual desire characterizes an underlying aspect of sexual motivation and is associated with romantic feelings while actual sexual activity and intercourse is associated with the development and advancement of a given relationship. Thus together, sexual desire and sexual frequency can successfully predict the stability of a relationship. While higher individual sexual desire discrepancies among married individuals may undermine overall relationship well-being, higher SDD scores for females may be beneficial for romantic relationships, because those females have high levels of passionate love and attachment to their partner. Studies suggest that women with higher levels of desire relative to that of their partners' may experience fewer relationship adjustment problems than women with lower levels of desire relative to their partners'. Empirical evidence has shown that sexual desire is a factor that heavily influences couple satisfaction and relationship continuity which has been one of the main reasons for the interest in this research domain of human sexuality.

Sexuality can be inscribed in a multidimensional model comprising different aspects of human life: biology, reproduction, culture, entertainment, relationships and love.

Edward Francis Diener was an American psychologist and author. Diener was a professor of psychology at the University of Utah and the University of Virginia, and Joseph R. Smiley Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, as well as a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization. He is noted for his research over the past thirty years on happiness, including work on temperament and personality influences on well-being, theories of well-being, income and well-being, cultural influences on well-being, and the measurement of well-being. As shown on Google Scholar as of April 2021, Diener's publications have been cited over 257,000 times.

Despite a large body of positive psychological research into the relationship between happiness and productivity, happiness at work has traditionally been seen as a potential by-product of positive outcomes at work, rather than a pathway to business success. Happiness in the workplace is usually dependent on the work environment. During the past two decades, maintaining a level of happiness at work has become more significant and relevant due to the intensification of work caused by economic uncertainty and increase in competition. Nowadays, happiness is viewed by a growing number of scholars and senior executives as one of the major sources of positive outcomes in the workplace. In fact, companies with higher than average employee happiness exhibit better financial performance and customer satisfaction. It is thus beneficial for companies to create and maintain positive work environments and leadership that will contribute to the happiness of their employees.

The self-perceived quality-of-life scale is a psychological assessment instrument which is based on a comprehensive theory of the self-perceived quality of life (SPQL) and provides a multi-faceted measurement of health-related and non-health-related aspects of well-being. The scale has become an instrument of choice for monitoring quality of life in some clinical populations, for example, it was adopted by the Positively Sound network for women living with HIV.

Life satisfaction is an evaluation of a person's quality of life. It is assessed in terms of mood, relationship satisfaction, achieved goals, self-concepts, and self-perceived ability to cope with their life. Life satisfaction involves a favorable attitude towards one's life—rather than an assessment of current feelings. Life satisfaction has been measured in relation to economic standing, degree of education, experiences, residence, and other factors.

Subjective well-being (SWB) is a self-reported measure of well-being, typically obtained by questionnaire.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Joudrey, Allan D.; Wallace, Jean E. (2009). "Leisure as a coping resource: A test of the job demand-control-support model". Human Relations. 62 (2): 195–217. doi:10.1177/0018726708100357. S2CID   145161340.
  2. ↑ Esteve, R.; Martin, J. San; Lopez, A. E. (1999). "Grasping the meaning of leisure: Developing a self-report measurement tool". Leisure Studies. 18 (2): 79–91. doi:10.1080/026143699374961.
  3. ↑ Beard, Jacob G.; Ragheb, Mounir G. (1980). "Measuring Leisure Satisfaction". Journal of Leisure Research. 12 (1): 20–33. Bibcode:1980JLeiR..12...20B. doi:10.1080/00222216.1980.11969416.
  4. 1 2 Caldwell, Linda L. (2005). "Leisure and health: Why is leisure therapeutic?". British Journal of Guidance & Counselling. 33: 7–26. doi:10.1080/03069880412331335939. S2CID   144193642.
  5. ↑ Spiers, Andrew; Walker, Gordon J. (2008). "The Effects of Ethnicity and Leisure Satisfaction on Happiness, Peacefulness, and Quality of Life". Leisure Sciences. 31: 84–99. doi:10.1080/01490400802558277. S2CID   145223269.
  6. ↑ Hribernik, Jernej; Mussap, Alexander J. (2010). "Research note: Leisure satisfaction and subjective wellbeing". Annals of Leisure Research. 13 (4): 701–708. doi:10.1080/11745398.2010.9686871. S2CID   144505334.
  7. 1 2 Brajša-Žganec, Andreja; Merkaš, Marina; Šverko, Iva (2011). "Quality of Life and Leisure Activities: How do Leisure Activities Contribute to Subjective Well-Being?". Social Indicators Research. 102: 81–91. doi:10.1007/s11205-010-9724-2. S2CID   143891798.
  8. ↑ London, Manuel; Crandall, Rick; Seals, Gary W. (1977). "The contribution of job and leisure satisfaction to quality of life". Journal of Applied Psychology. 62 (3): 328–334. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.62.3.328. hdl: 2027/uiuo.ark:/13960/t3rv1d79w . S2CID   145660315.
  9. ↑ Agate, Joel R.; Zabriskie, Ramon B.; Agate, Sarah Taylor; Poff, Raymond (2009). "Family Leisure Satisfaction and Satisfaction with Family Life". Journal of Leisure Research. 41 (2): 205–223. Bibcode:2009JLeiR..41..205A. doi:10.1080/00222216.2009.11950166. S2CID   141422028.
  10. 1 2 Orthner, Dennis K. (1975). "Leisure Activity Patterns and Marital Satisfaction over the Marital Career". Journal of Marriage and Family. 37 (1): 91–102. doi:10.2307/351033. JSTOR   351033.
  11. 1 2 Crawford, Duane W.; Houts, Renate M.; Huston, Ted L.; George, Laura J. (2002). "Compatibility, Leisure, and Satisfaction in Marital Relationships". Journal of Marriage and Family. 64 (2): 433–449. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00433.x .
  12. 1 2 Lloyd, C.; King, R.; Lampe, J.; McDougall, S. (2001). "The leisure satisfaction of people with psychiatric disabilities". Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. 25 (2): 107–113. doi:10.1037/h0095035. PMID   11769976.
  13. ↑ Prvu, J. (1999). The Effects of Leisure Education on Leisure Satisfaction, Leisure Participation, and Self-confidence for Individuals with Brain Injuries (PDF). Canadian Association of Leisure Studies (Thesis).
  14. ↑ Mausbach, B. T.; Chattillion, E.; Roepke, S. K.; Ziegler, M. G.; Milic, M.; von Känel, R.; Dimsdale, J. E.; Mills, P. J.; Patterson, T. L.; Allison, M. A.; Ancoli-Israel, S.; Grant, I. (2012). "A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relations Among Stress, Depressive Symptoms, Leisure Satisfaction, and Endothelial Function in Caregivers". Health Psychology. 31 (4): 433–440. doi:10.1037/a0027783. PMC   3393823 . PMID   22486550.
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