Leisure Experiences Research Articles

Thriving through stress: leisure satisfaction, hope, growth, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Leisure can serve as a resource for managing stress and eliciting positive thoughts and emotions, which contribute to well-being. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leisure satisfaction, hope, stress-related growth (SRG), and psychological well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 547 U.S. residents completed an online survey in July 2020. A series of path analyses were used to examine six hypotheses. The results showed leisure satisfaction positively impacts SRG and enhances hope. One surprising finding is the negative relationship between leisure and psychological well-being, which is worthy of further investigation. The study highlights the importance of leisure in generating positive emotions about the future, and the role of hope in mediating the relationship between pleasurable leisure experiences and SRG during periods of adversity.

Dining out safely with food allergies: A comparative perspective from restaurant managers and servers in Malaysia

Food can motivate visiting a destination or coming together with family and friends, but food allergy concerns and reactions increasingly spoil the tourism and leisure experience. Incidents of food allergies in restaurants, and questions on how to handle food allergy communication and practices require attention from the hospitality industry. Based on a survey conducted at restaurants, we applied a five-level framework to examine and compare the multifaceted perspectives of restaurant managers and front-line employees regarding their understanding and practices on food allergies. Findings showed that managers' and servers' food allergy knowledge in Malaysia was low when compared with similar studies conducted in a 'Western' context. In addition, the results also indicated significant differences between food allergy practices and perceived training needs between the two tested groups. In general, managers were more aware of the practices and perceived training needs regarding food allergies than servers. Majority of servers did not receive training in food allergies. Accordingly, all relevant stakeholders must cooperate in developing appropriate educational tools to improve food allergy knowledge.

Identifying leisure education topics for university student well-being: A Delphi study

Leisure education (LE) is a purposeful intervention that can enhance quality of leisure experiences and well-being. University students can benefit from LE because many encounter mental health challenges. There are no LE interventions specifically designed for university students. Thus, this study’s purpose is to identify areas of LE to enhance mental health and well-being of university students. A Delphi method was employed, in which 48 experts (e.g., professors, recreation therapists, counselors) completed three rounds of online surveys. The first round inductively generated potential topics, while the second and third rounds statistically determined which topics experts considered as important. Of the 114 initial topics, 67 met the statistical criteria. These topics revolved around themes of leisure and life skills, reflection and motivation, negative emotions, healthy and meaningful leisure, and environmental resources. We discuss the findings in relation to the literature on mental health, LE, and university students.

The impact of educational elements and psychological distance on family outdoor leisure experiences and environmental attitudes

ABSTRACT Nature-based tourism has increasingly attracted worldwide attention because of its usefulness not only in attracting tourists but also in terms of providing opportunities to raise public environmental awareness. In considerations of the contribution of tourism to environmental sustainability initiatives, there is a need for nature-based tourism marketers to develop programs aimed at fostering visitors’ environmental awareness. To promote useful nature-based tourism program planning, this study employed a web-based experimental design to investigate how psychological distance and the incorporation of educational elements into outdoor leisure activities affect the relationship between families’ outdoor leisure experiences and their environmental attitudes. The study shows that the leisure experience elements affecting conservation attitude vary in relation to psychological distance. It also points out the outdoor leisure program can be utilized to foster individuals’ conservation attitudes, whether or not it encompasses educational elements with proper leisure experience management.

Collaboratively Reimagining Spaces Through Socially-Engaged Creative Practices

In November-December 2022, Khoj, a not-for-profit contemporary arts organization based in New Delhi, India, presented a bilingual exhibition (Hindi and English), “Threading the Horizon: Propositions on Worldmaking through Socially Engaged Art Practice”. The stimulus for this paper comes from the encounter with the fourteen research-driven, community-based projects curated at the gallery. In particular, I explore ‘the how and why’ of five artists/activists and their three projects – how they intervene in the everyday experience of negotiating violence through invisibilities, rights, inequality, and leisure by women and gendered others in the capital city, how the projects in the gallery act as sites of conversation and reflection, and why is it significant to delve into the everyday urban and digital context in which these projects unfold. The artists’/activists’ site-specific placemaking interventions are characterized by transformative processes that emerge from their close, long-term engagement, dialogue, and collaboration with participating communities and other artists/curators/designers. The first project is 5 Bigha Zameen (1 Acre Land) by the architect and artist/activist Swati Janu in collaboration with the Social Design Collaborative. The year-long project, based in Yamuna Khadar, Delhi, sought to actively support the women farmers’ rights to lives and livelihoods on the floodplains of the Yamuna River. Fursat ki Fizayen (Spaces for Leisure) by the spatial design practitioners Divya Chopra and Rwitee Mandal emerged from the leisure experience of women in Madanpur Khadar, an urban village in South Delhi. Rarely seen occupying public spaces for leisure, women reclaimed a small terrace to sit and have tea together – women whose lives were occupied mainly by household responsibilities and work outside. The third community-based project is Aao, Jagah Banaye! (Come, Let’s Make Space!) by the co-founders of City Sabha, Saleha Sapra and Riddhi T. Batra. It sought to empower informal women vendor groups in Raghubir Nagar, New Delhi, facing spatial injustice in an everyday context riddled with deeply-entrenched patriarchy. Drawing on de Certeau’s understanding of “the procedures of everyday creativity” and a Lefebvrian framework to look at spaces, the qualitative study examines women’s (artists/activists’ and the communities’) endeavours to (i) resiliently (re)imagine Delhi as an urban setting; (ii) (re)claim public spaces for leisure, and (iii) (re)configure real and online spaces (on Instagram) through the entanglements of socially engaged creative practices with quotidian experiences. The paper emphasizes the complex power relations between the artists/activists and their communities/collaborators, the bonds of care and compassion formed in and through the projects, and how they can carry forward during the various production, curation and exhibition processes. It raises the following questions: (i) How can tracing the artists/activists’ entangled praxis with diverse everyday environments and the alternative production of urban/rural, physical/online spaces and imaginaries help us expand our understanding of socially engaged creative practices? (ii) How may the artists/activists pay attention to their human collaborators and the non-human environment to create more inclusive projects, develop nuanced ways to strengthen their voices, and share their collective ideas and experiences?

More than a work of art: Exploring restorative experience in tourism at the Net Master’s Garden, Suzhou, China

Classical gardens in Suzhou were designed not only as an art of work but also for use in daily life. This study explored the tourist experience in the Net Master’s Garden in Suzhou, China, as a restorative environment based on attention restoration theory. Analysis of the results of the on-site questionnaire survey revealed three dimensions of perceived restorative characteristics: “fascination-compatibility”, “being away” and “extent”. Using multiple correspondence analysis, we also found three types of restorative experiences influenced by different activities and landscape impressions: a salient sightseeing experience, an immersive experience and a low restorative experience. In a salient sightseeing experience, when strolling visitors enjoyed the varying picturesque views, they perceived “fascination-compatibility” and “being away” more strongly. In an immersive experience, the visitors tended to do leisure activities, acquired a holistic sense of the garden, and perceived “extent” and “fascination-compatibility” more strongly. Visitors who acted more passively tended to perceive a low restorative experience. We think this study provides clues to expanding the meaning of garden visits from “appreciation” to “restoration” for both garden management and garden visitors. The classical garden might play a more important role in pleasure-derived leisure experiences in local areas, especially during times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyond the podium: Exploring the leisure reference of a special Olympic athlete with Down Syndrome

Leisure activities play a crucial role in the lives of individuals with disabilities, offering opportunities for social interaction, skill development, and self-expression. This study aims to explore the leisure reference of a Special Olympics athlete with Down Syndrome, filling a gap in research specific to this population. The study seeks to identify the leisure activities of the athlete, examine their impact on well-being, introduce new leisure activities, and understand the athlete's experiences in the new activity. Previous research has shown the benefits of sports and physical activity for individuals with Down Syndrome, enhancing physical fitness, coordination, and motor skills. However, limited research exists on leisure patterns beyond training and competitions in these athletes. Understanding their leisure experiences can inform the development of programs and policies to support their participation in sports. Three themes were formulated and finalized by the researchers to describe the current leisure activities and introduced leisure activity of the subject: (a) Ignite the fire within!; (b) Breaking free: Overcoming obstacles, embracing leisure; and (c) Elevate your life: Unleash the power of leisure!. The findings of this study will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of leisure among individuals with Down Syndrome, provide insights into their unique experiences and needs, and guide the development of inclusive programs and interventions.

Examining the long-term effect of leisure engagement, leisure satisfaction, and perceived discrimination on stress perception among Koreans with physical disabilities

Leisure is considered an effective means to relieve stress. However, limited research has explored its roles in the stress-coping processes of people with disabilities, especially those living in non-western contexts. This study explores the relationship between leisure time (LT) and leisure repertoire (LR) and perceived stress from disability (PSD) through leisure satisfaction (LS), while using perceived discrimination (PD) as a moderator. Data were collected from the 2016 and 2017 Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled created by a Korean government agency. A total of 1,443 respondents with physical disabilities were selected. The results showed LT and LR have somewhat different associations with LS and PSD. Moreover, PD was only a moderator of the relationship between LT, LS, and PSD. The present study emphasizes the importance of quality of leisure experiences, rather than simply engaging in leisure, and the efficacy of LR as a stress coping skill.

Co-creating family-inclusive leisure experiences: A study of Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house

Art and culture have demonstrated benefits for children with disabilities, yet not everyone in this population has equal access to them. Families of children with disabilities (FwD) are as eager to take part in leisure activities as other families, but they are more likely to run into constraints that make it too difficult for them to follow through. To gain more insight into this, we examine a socially dense leisure experience using customer-dominant logic, focusing on 12 FwD’s attendance at a classical music performance. We explore the social practices involved in customer-to-customer (C2C) value co-creation and the resulting value outcomes, all of which are beyond the leisure provider’s control. Adopting a multi-method qualitative research approach in collaboration with Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house, we identified three emergent invisible value factors beyond the leisure provider’s control and three hidden value outcomes.

The Flow Experience in Leisure among Undergraduats And its Influencing Factors

The Flow Experience in Leisure among Undergraduats And its Influencing Factors

An exploration of the associations between perceived physical and psychological benefits of Chinese yoga leisure participants—A qualitative approach

This paper explores the associations between the perceived physical and the corresponding psychological benefits of yoga leisure. Qualitative interviews with purposeful and snowball sampling methods were conducted to elicit 29 Chinese leisure participants who engaged in yoga with at least two years of yoga participation. The results reveal that respondents’ perceived physical benefit was associated with specific psychological benefit, demonstrating the embodied experience in yoga leisure where the body and the mind are connected. Specifically, (a) Breathing regulation enhances self-focus; (b) Sensory improvements promote self-awareness; (c) Better appearance strengthens self-confidence; (d) Completion of challenging asana (i.e., body postures) boosts self-efficacy; and (e) Body control improves self-control. Theoretically, this paper contributes to our understanding of the associations between the physical benefits and the corresponding psychological benefits of yoga leisure based on the experience of Chinese yoga participants. Practical implications have also been suggested.

Is It Time to Revisit the Definition of Serial Homicide? New Evidence and Theory

Historically, serial homicide has been defined in various ways by experts. Recently, there have been renewed efforts to arrive at a consensus definition, yet these efforts have not yet been resolved. At the heart of the controversy appears to be the prioritization of either qualitative definitional features, such as offenders’ intentions and motives, or more observable quantitative features, specifically a minimum threshold of completed murders. The present technical note briefly summarizes this controversy before considering new empirical and theoretical research developments. These developments support a definition that includes a three-victim minimum threshold of forensically linked murderers by the same person(s), occurring in separate events over time, wherein a primary motive is often personal gratification (leisure experience).

Once-in-a-lifetime leisure experiences (OLLE): The role of Flow, novelty, and interpersonal interaction on tourists’ satisfaction and memories

Drawing on Flow theory and memorable tourism experience, this study explores the relationships between Flow, novelty, and interpersonal interaction and the impact on travelers’ satisfaction and memories. By applying a mixed-method approach and the critical incident technique to a once-in-a-lifetime leisure experience, 550 tourists recalled their experiences. The results reveal that Flow has a direct and positive influence on tourists’ satisfaction and memories of the experience. The findings highlight the role of novelty and interpersonal interaction in producing positive Flow. However, novelty and interpersonal interaction did not come out as significant to predict memories and satisfaction.

Affective atmospheres in children’s museum experiences

ABSTRACT Taking inspiration from ethnographic methods, this study presents the experiences of young children and their families, as they interact with a display at the Workers Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, analysing these through Ben Anderson's concept affective atmospheres. Adding to scholarship on emotion in leisure studies, the paper presents young visitor experiences as ongoing relational interactions between bodies, objects, and places, where atmospheres are central to the sensory leisure experience and deeply enmeshed with affectivity. With this perspective, we contribute to broadening the scholarship that challenges the division between positive and negative emotions, which continues to be foregrounded in leisure scholarship, arguing that such binary framework does not account for the granularity and complexity of emotional worlds. The research invites scholars and practitioners to attend to affective atmospheres in visitor experiences, while letting go of the notion that these can be controlled through careful curation.

Statement of Removal

It has been noted that crime and enforcement are likely a defining part of an evolving leisure experience. The aims of this manuscript were to call for research to focus on this phenomenon of the shooting and killing of people, particularly Black citizenry, by law enforcement. State sanctioned violence has been consistently wrought in leisure spaces and settings since those 2014–2015 deaths that were noted previously in a Leisure Sciences article, “The Case of the 12-year-old Boy: Or, the Silence of and Relevance to Leisure Research.” An understanding of policing, not police officers, as tool for surveillance and control along with an understanding of society, not on individualized or small group social behavior are the needs in the research of a legitimate lethal and trauma-inducing phenomenon that occurs within the space, time, and activities of leisure, sport, and tourism.

The cue is in the queue, smart! Assessing the ritualised leisure experiences of long queuing for a bubble tea brand in China

ABSTRACT Drawing on the perspective of ritualised leisure experiences underscored by the theory of interaction ritual chain, this study attempts to demystify the seemingly irrational and ineffable long queues of Chinese customers for a bubble tea brand which is only priced modestly. A four-factor scale of ritualised leisure experiences was conceptually proposed and empirically assessed with survey-derived data. Meanwhile, the research variables of subjective vitality and customer loyalty were incorporated to account for the cognitive and affective processes activated and engaged in the ritualised queuing experiences. Modelling results report that the confirmed scale of ritualised leisure experiences exerts positive effects upon customer loyalty, as mediated by subjective vitality. Meanwhile, young Chinese females have been profiled as the outstanding force shaping and reinforcing the queuing culture, claiming and asserting their own sway of leisure discourses in contemporary China. This study expands knowledge on rituality in leisure contexts, and offers references for leisure practitioners in better embedding ritualised components into the brand equity of leisure products and services.

Gender-leisure nexus through a social justice lens: The voice of women from Iran

Leisure is recognised as offering individuals a chance for relaxation, self-development, social interaction, and wellbeing. However, women's participation and experience of leisure in many developing countries are constrained by gender stereotypes and gender-based inequalities. This study aims to investigate the interrelationship of gender, leisure and issues of social justice and equity in the developing country of Iran. This study also demonstrates how constraints to access and participation in leisure activities can further reinforce Iranian women's socioeconomic disadvantage. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted to explore women's narratives of leisure activities and their perceptions of leisure in/equality. The findings reveal that issues such as society norms, cultural mythology and traditions, household and parental responsibilities, personal safety, and crises can restrict women's leisure in Iran. The implications of this study focus on transitional steps for societal changes to reduce marginalisation and bring into being a more inclusive and just society for women.

Modeling Residents’ WOM Behavior Toward Tourism Through Altruism and the Theory of Reasoned Action

Residents are a key figure in the tourist and leisure experience because through their words and actions, they can become ambassadors for their locality and provide a distinctive image of the tourist destination. They are often motivated by the altruistic purpose of helping others or promoting their locality as a tourist destination. To determine if true altruism influences the attitudes, intentions and WOM behavior of residents, a model based on Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) was tested in a small coastal city in southwestern Spain. The results show that the altruistic values of the residents directly and positively influence their attitudes toward WOM behavior and, though to a weaker degree, their WOM behavior. The research corroborates the basic postulates of TRA regarding the attitudes-intentions-behavior sequence and advocates the inclusion of the residents’ attitudes toward pro-tourism behavior in TRA-based models instead of the traditional attitude toward the object (tourism or tourist).

Resistance and Mothers’ Experiences in Postnatal Team Sport: “Didn’t You Just Have a Kid?”

Postnatal women’s physically active leisure experiences can sometimes be inhibited by gendered expectations of motherhood. As a result, participation in leisure, such as community team sport, may be a context for resisting ideologies such as gender and intensive mothering. In this paper, we critically examine postnatal women’s return to community team sport and gendered expectations of motherhood. Using narrative methods, eighteen interviews were conducted with six postnatal women participating in three interviews over a three-month duration. Six creative nonfiction stories were constructed to represent the mothers’ unique, yet shared experiences and their return to community team sport. Emphasis is placed on the complicated relationship between resistance, reproduction, and empowerment as postnatal women encounter the gendered expectations of motherhood. We additionally explored the potential of stories, community, and support as central to the process of resisting gendered expectations.

The Structural Control of Labor and Leisure of Working Fathers in Taiwan: A Dialectical View on the Realm of Freedom

Through in-depth interviews, this qualitative study used a critical approach to explore the perceived freedom of working fathers in pursuing leisure activities. Interviews were conducted with 15 Taiwanese working fathers from various occupations about their leisure experiences, constraints, and what leisure means to them. From the results, three themes emerged: (1) work-life imbalance of working fathers, (2) the famine of free time, and (3) freedom through leisure. Despite differences in occupations and economic status, most interviewees suffered from time famine. The relationship between work and leisure is a dynamic interplay of opposing forces. Leisure value is not a universal concept. Leisure must be understood as multiple structures, interpreted differently by people in different contexts. The results also showed that absolute freedom is an unreachable goal under Taiwan’s capitalist system. These issues are discussed in Taiwan’s social, cultural, and economic contexts from working fathers’ perspectives on leisure.