Research note: Leisure satisfaction and subjective wellbeing

Abstract

The Personal Wellbeing Index (International Wellbeing Group, 2006), along with an item evaluating leisure satisfaction, was administered to 487 adults from the general population (274 women; 207 men; 6 unidentified). Multiple regression analyses confirmed that leisure satisfaction predicts unique variance in life satisfaction, thus supporting its inclusion as a distinct life domain contributing to subjective wellbeing. Additionally, participants’ relationship status (married, de facto or living together; never married; separated or divorced) was found to interact with age group and gender on differences in leisure satisfaction. The relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction, however, was substantially reduced by the inclusion of core affect (feeling happy, content, or excited) in the regression equations. This is consistent with the proposition that leisure satisfaction is influenced by an individual's subjective wellbeing level as represented by core affect. It is recommended that the measurement of leisure satisfaction should control for the effects of this underlying psychological state.