Across the world, individuals of different races, ethnicities, cultures, and nationalities engage in a vast diversity of leisurely practices. Individuals choices to participate or not in leisure activities can have notable impacts on their overall state of well-being. In fact, leisure activities are a great source of well-being for many of these individuals. Moreover, leisurely activities can contribute to the fulfillment of an individual’s life. Participating in leisure activities has many positive impacts for individuals’ health and well-being. Evidently, having a healthy lifestyle is a priority for many people today. However, as rates of leisure participation are on the declining, it is critical to examine the role of leisure in encouraging healthy lifestyles among participants. As such, the following essay will explore the role of leisure participation in individual’s five dimensions of well-being. Specifically, using the flourishing through leisure model, the following essay will present the positive influence of leisure on participant’s overall state of well-being.
Leisure activities include a diversity of activities for individuals to engage with and participate in. Leisure activities can include, but are not limited to, “arts and culture, hobbies, sports, socializing, volunteering, and nature-based activities” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 116). The engagement in one or more of the aforementioned leisurely activities can impact the participant’s overall state of health. According to Shank and Coyle (2002), health is defined as “a state of high level physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual wellness” (qtd. as cited in Carruthers & Hood, 2004, p. 226). Furthermore, an individual’s overall health status is based on five aspects of well-being, as presented by Anderson and Heyne (2016a). Accordingly, there are five dimensions which comprise the term well-being: “psychological/emotional, cognitive, social, physical, and spiritual” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 122). The first dimension, psychological, involves experiencing emotional strength which contributes to developing feelings of happiness and control over one’s life (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a). The second, cognitive, involves developing the necessary cognitive strategies to help an individual think and learn (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a). Thirdly, the social aspect includes developing the skills “that help us relate to others and belong to a valued social [group]” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 122). Fourthly, the physical aspect involves developing the “vitality” to participate in one’s everyday life with “no barriers” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 122). Finally, the spiritual aspect includes “having strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of life” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 122). All of aforementioned aspects combine to represent an individual’s overall state of well-being. Moreover, participating who participate in leisure activities experience improvements in their overall well-being.
In recent years, leisure research has focused increasingly on the positive health benefits of participating in leisurely activities. A study conducted by Yang et al. (2012) explores the relationship between leisure and well-being in Taiwanese college students. Their results of over 200 participant surveys confirmed that “leisure involvement had an impact on the leisure benefits and the well-being of college students” (Yang et al., 2012, p. 1251). Overall, their results indicated that leisure involvement created a greater sense of well-being amongst participants (Yang et al., 2012). Additionally, research conducted by Padhy and colleagues (2015) found a significant positive correlation between engagement in leisure activities and participant’s overall well-being. Generally, there are many benefits of participating in leisure activities. Recent research continues to advocate that the participation in leisure activities contributes to increasing individual’s overall well-being. According to Edginton et al. (2006), “engagement in leisure activities seems to have a spill-over effect on general well-being” (qtd. as cited in Padhy et al., 2015, p. 314). Moreover, Anderson and Heyne (2016a) note that individuals who engage in leisure activities are likely to experience a variety of positive emotions and experiences which are directly linked to increased health and well-being. As noted by Heyne and Anderson (2016b), leisure experiences have the “power to motivate a participant toward personal well-being, fulfilling leisure, community engagement, and a flourishing life” (p. 33). Participating in leisurely activities allows participants the opportunity to experience the enjoyment of such activity, as well as benefit from many health related benefits.
In the article “Flourishing Through Leisure and the Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change” (2016a), Anderson and Heyne discuss the impact of leisure on participant’s well-being. Notably, the flourishing through leisure model, as proposed by Anderson and Heyne (2016a), evaluates the strengthening of individual’s well-being through the participation in leisure activities. This specific model of examining leisure practices is “based on the premise that leisure can drive positive lifestyle change and help people reach their goals for well-being” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 119). According to this model, leisure is a “strength in and of itself and a context to build other strengths” (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a, p. 120). This model accounts that individual’s state of well-being is influenced by an individual’s “quality leisure experiences” (Anderson & Heyne, 2012, p. 131). To explain, quality leisure experiences involve the process whereby participants “find meaning, enjoyment, and growth in their leisure pursuits” (Anderson & Heyne, 2012, p. 131). In other terms, these leisure activities involve a great sense of accomplishment and enjoyment for the participants. Building on the idea of quality leisure time, Padhy et al.’s (2015) research indicated a relationship between levels of well-being and leisure motivations. Notably, they observed that intrinsic motivation was a significant contributor to higher levels of participant’s well-being. To elaborate, their research concluded that “performing an activity for pleasure and satisfaction that one experiences while learning, exploring, or trying to understand something new and low expectancies regarding actions, contribute to well-being” (Padhy et al., 2015, p. 319). The flourishing through leisure model accounts for the ways in which an individual’s personal strengths, as well as their natural environment, combine to increase their overall well-being through a specific leisure activity.
Participating in leisurely activities is a great source for an abundance of physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual health benefits. For example, numerous leisure activities involve a physical activity or aspects of exercises which can help participants develop stronger physical health. According to Godbey (2003) the relationship between leisure and well-being is evident in the way that those who participate in leisurely activities also subsequently proactively seek good health in doing so. To expand, engaging in physical leisure activities enables participants to lead healthier lives by challenging participants to stay active on a regular basis. Many individuals participate in leisure activities as both a mechanism to improve emotional well-being, as well as improve physical well-being. Evidently, there are enormous health benefits for individuals who undertake leisurely sporting or fitness activities. Daily physical activity can elevate a participant’s mood, as well as contribute to decreasing their stress levels. Notably, participating in leisure activities is a mechanism whereby participants can de-stress which contributes to a higher state of psychological well-being. According to Padhy et al. (2015), leisure activities “give us the space, time and freedom to be ourselves” (p. 314). Additionally, leisurely gatherings can be a great source for individuals to develop their spiritual well-being. In fact, many leisurely activities can also concurrently be cultural or religiously influenced. As Shannon (2013) expresses, “leisure can provide the opportunity for spiritual connection, spiritual maintenance, or expressions of spirituality” (p. 34). Within a group setting, leisure activities can serve as a source for the transmission of many religious and spiritual values. Furthermore, engaging in leisure activities enables participants to develop social skills and build friendships. Leisure activities are a great location for individuals with common interests to meet and collaborate. Moreover, participating in leisure activities allows participants to develop interpersonal skills and cultivate a sense of belonging to a specific group, club, or association.
In recent times, many individuals indicate having less free time than ever before which has correspondingly contributed to declining levels of engagement in leisure activities (Padhy et al., 2015). As presented in this paper, the flourishing through leisure model (Anderson & Heyne, 2016a; Anderson & Heyne, 2016b; Carruthers & Hood, 2004) provides evidence to prove that leisure practices contribute to creating an overall positive state of well-being among participants. To conclude, the above dissertation describes the benefits of engaging in leisurely activities on one’s state of well-being in order to encourage individuals to partake in such activities. In summary, leisure remains a critical aspect of one’s life for the numerous positive impacts that leisure can have on one’s life. As such, one’s participation in leisurely activities can contribute to increasing the participant’s overall state of well-being in the aforementioned five dimensions. Evidently, it is critical that individuals engage in leisure activities in order to reap the numerous positive health benefits that are a result of their engagements in such activities.