Skip to main content
Log in

Leisure Activities and Life Satisfaction: an Analysis with German Panel Data

  • Published:
Applied Research in Quality of Life Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given the nature of leisure as largely uncoerced and not necessary for survival it seems obvious at a first glance that leisure activities should contribute to happiness. Indeed, recent research has found positive effects of leisure activities on subjective well-being. In this article, we analyze the association between leisure activities and life satisfaction based on longitudinal data from Germany. By applying fixed-effects regression models we are able to rule out potential bias due to unobserved heterogeneity in time-constant variables. We use data from three waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam), a large, randomly sampled longitudinal study of adolescents and adults (aged 15–41 across the observation period), to test the effects of five leisure activities (sports; vacation; meeting with friends; internet use; and TV viewing) on respondents’ life satisfaction. Our results indicate that meeting with friends, doing sports, and going on vacation contributes positively to life satisfaction whereas internet use for personal purposes and TV consumption are negatively related to life satisfaction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, K. B., Leibbrandt, S., & Moon, H. (2011). A critical review of the literature on social and leisure activity and wellbeing in later life. Ageing and Society, 31(04), 683–712. doi:10.1017/S0144686X10001091.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguiar, M., & Hurst, E. (2007). Measuring trends in leisure: the allocation of time over five decades. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122(3), 969–1006. doi:10.1162/qjec.122.3.969.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguiar, M., & Hurst, E. (2009). A summary of trends in American time allocation: 1965–2005. Social Indicators Research, 93(1), 57–64. doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9362-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, L. R., & Beattie, R. J. (1984). The role of leisure as an indicator of overall satisfaction with community life. Journal of Leisure Research, 16(2), 99–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Argyle, M. (1999). Causes and correlates of happiness. In D. D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 353–373). New York: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babyak, M., Blumenthal, J. A., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Doraiswamy, M., Moore, K., et al. (2000). Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62(5), 633–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartolini, S., & Bilancini, E. (2010). If not only GDP, what else? using relational goods to predict the trends of subjective well-being. International Review of Economics, 57(2), 199–213. doi:10.1007/s12232-010-0098-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartolini, S., Bilancini, E., & Sarracino, F. (2013). Predicting the trend of well-being in Germany: how much do comparisons, adaptation and sociability matter? Social Indicators Research, 114(2), 169–191. doi:10.1007/s11205-012-0142-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becchetti, L., Pelloni, A., & Rossetti, F. (2008). Relational goods, sociability, and happiness. Kyklos, 61(3), 343–363. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6435.2008.00405.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becchetti, L., Ricca, E. G., & Pelloni, A. (2012). The relationship between social leisure and life satisfaction: causality and policy implications. Social Indicators Research, 108(3), 453–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (2004). Well-being over time in Britain and the USA. Journal of Public Economics, 88(7), 1359–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowling, A. (1995). What things are important in people’s lives? A survey of the public’s judgements to inform scales of health related quality of life. Social Science & Medicine, 41(10), 1447–1462. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(95)00113-L.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brüderl, J., & Ludwig, V. (2014). Fixed-effects panel regression. In H. Best & C. Wolf (Eds.), Sage Handbook of regression analysis and causal inference (pp. 327–356). London: Sage Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bruni, L., & Stanca, L. (2008). Watching alone: Relational goods, television and happiness. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 65(3–4), 506–528. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2005.12.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burda, M. C., Hamermesh, D. S., & Weil, P. (2008). The distribution of total work in the EU and USA. In Working hours and job sharing in the EU and USA: Are Europeans lazy? or Americans crazy? (pp. 13–91). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C.-C., Petrick, J. F., & Shahvali, M. (2014a). Tourism experiences as a stress reliever: examining the effects of tourism recovery experiences on life satisfaction. Journal of Travel Research. doi:10.1177/0047287514546223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y., Fu, X., & Lehto, X. (2014b). Chinese tourist vacation satisfaction and subjective well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-16. doi:10.1007/s11482-014-9354-y.

  • Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1980). Influence of extraversion and neuroticism on subjective well-being: happy and unhappy people. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38(4), 668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (2005). Moving from the quality of life concept to a theory. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49(10), 699–706. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2005.00738.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuñado, J., & de Gracia, F. P. (2012). Does media consumption make us happy? evidence for Spain. Journal of Media Economics, 25(1), 8–34. doi:10.1080/08997764.2012.651052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: the science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Lucas, R. E. (2000). Explaining differences in societal levels of happiness: relative standards, need fulfillment, culture, and evaluation theory. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1(1), 41–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54(1), 403–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driver, B. L., Brown, P. J., & Peterson, G. L. (1991). Benefits of leisure. State College, PA, US: Venture Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edginton, C. R., DeGraaf, D. G., Dieser, R. B., & Edginton, S. R. (2006). Leisure and life satisfaction: Foundational perspectives (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrhardt, J. J., Saris, W. E., & Veenhoven, R. (2000). Stability of life-satisfaction over time. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1(2), 177–205. doi:10.1023/A:1010084410679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., & Stutzer, A. (2000). Happiness, economy and institutions. The Economic Journal, 110(466), 918–938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., Benesch, C., & Stutzer, A. (2007). Does watching TV make us happy? Journal of Economic Psychology, 28(3), 283–313. doi:10.1016/j.joep.2007.02.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, D., & Abdullah, J. (2004). Holidaytaking and the sense of well-being. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(1), 103–121. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2003.06.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (1998). Positive moods derived from leisure and their relationship to happiness and personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(3), 523–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood, C. D., & Carruthers, C. P. (2013). Facilitating change through leisure: The leisure and well-being model of therapeutic recreation practice. In T. Freire (Ed.), Positive leisure science: From subjective experience to social contexts (pp. 121–140). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Huinink, J., Brüderl, J., Nauck, B., Walper, S., Castiglioni, L., & Feldhaus, M. (2011). Panel analysis of intimate relationships and family dynamics (pairfam): conceptual framework and design. Zeitschrift für Familienforschung-Journal of Family Research, 23(1).

  • Kim, J., Chun, S., Heo, J., Lee, S., & Han, A. (2014). Contribution of leisure-time physical activity on psychological benefits among elderly immigrants. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-10. doi:10.1007/s11482-014-9374-7.

  • Kraaykamp, G., & Van Eijck, K. (2005). Personality, media preferences, and cultural participation. Personality and Individual Differences, 38(7), 1675–1688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, A. B., Kahneman, D., Fischler, C., Schkade, D., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2009). Time use and subjective well-being in France and the US. Social Indicators Research, 93(1), 7–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, L., & Lee, P. S. N. (2005). Multiple determinants of life quality: the roles of internet activities, use of new media, social support, and leisure activities. Telematics and Informatics, 22(3), 161–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, K. M., & Auld, C. J. (2002). The role of leisure in determining quality of life: issues of content and measurement. Social Indicators Research, 57(1), 43–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, K. M., & Little, D. E. (2010). Self-determination theory as a framework for understanding women’s psychological well-being outcomes from leisure-time physical activity. Leisure Sciences, 32(4), 369–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: the architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milman, A. (1998). The impact of tourism and travel experience on senior travelers’ psychological well-being. Journal of Travel Research, 37(2), 166–170. doi:10.1177/004728759803700208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Motl, R. W., Birnbaum, A. S., Kubik, M. Y., & Dishman, R. K. (2004). Naturally occurring changes in physical activity are inversely related to depressive symptoms during early adolescence. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(3), 336–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nauck B., Brüderl J., Huinink J. & Walper S. (2014). The German Family Panel (pairfam). (5.0 ed.): GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. doi:10.4232/pairfam.5678.5.0.0.

  • Nawijn, J., & Veenhoven, R. (2011). The effect of leisure activities on life satisfaction: The importance of holiday trips. In I. Brdar (Ed.), The human pursuit of well-being: A cultural approach (pp. 39–53). Dordrecht: Springer Science.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nawijn, J., & Veenhoven, R. (2013). Happiness through leisure. In T. Freire (Ed.), Positive leisure science: From subjective experience to social contexts (pp. 193–209). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nawijn, J., Marchand, M., Veenhoven, R., & Vingerhoets, A. (2010). Vacationers happier, but most not happier after a holiday. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 5(1), 35–47. doi:10.1007/s11482-009-9091-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neal, J. D., Sirgy, M. J., & Uysal, M. (1999). The role of satisfaction with leisure travel/tourism services and experience in satisfaction with leisure life and overall life. Journal of Business Research, 44(3), 153–163. doi:10.1016/S0148-2963(97)00197-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, D. B., Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2014). Leisure and subjective well-being: A model of psychological mechanisms as mediating factors. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(3), 555–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, P. J., Raglin, J. S., & Martinsen, E. W. (2000). Physical activity, anxiety and anxiety disorders. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 31(2), 136–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pagan, R. (2015). Are relational goods important for people with disabilities? Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-19. doi:10.1007/s11482-015-9423-x.

  • Richards, G. (1999). Vacations and the quality of life: patterns and structures. Journal of Business Research, 44(3), 189–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spiers, A., & Walker, G. J. (2008). The effects of ethnicity and leisure satisfaction on happiness, peacefulness, and quality of life. Leisure Sciences, 31(1), 84–99. doi:10.1080/01490400802558277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stebbins, R. A. (2005). Choice and experiential definitions of leisure. Leisure Sciences, 27(4), 349–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stubbe, J. H., de Moor, M. H. M., Boomsma, D. I., & de Geus, E. J. C. (2007). The association between exercise participation and well-being: a co-twin study. Preventive Medicine, 44(2), 148–152. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.09.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trainor, S., Delfabbro, P., Anderson, S., & Winefield, A. (2010). Leisure activities and adolescent psychological well-being. Journal of Adolescence, 33(1), 173–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (1994). Is happiness a trait? Social Indicators Research, 32(2), 101–160. doi:10.1007/BF01078732.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M., & Wong, M. S. (2014). Happiness and leisure across countries: evidence from international survey data. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(1), 85–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2010). Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study uses data from the German Family Panel pairfam, coordinated by Josef Brüderl, Karsten Hank, Johannes Huinink, Bernhard Nauck, Franz Neyer, and Sabine Walper. pairfam is funded as long-term project by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudia Schmiedeberg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Schmiedeberg, C., Schröder, J. Leisure Activities and Life Satisfaction: an Analysis with German Panel Data. Applied Research Quality Life 12, 137–151 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-016-9458-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-016-9458-7

Keywords

Navigation