Abstract

The present study examines the relationship between flow, spirituality, and happiness across diverse activity settings. One hundred and forty-five participants (71 female, 74 male) completed a survey assessing the activity setting (artistic/athletic/academic), the nine dimensions of flow (Jackson & Marsh’s Flow State Scale, 1996), spirituality (Hatch, Spring, Ritz, & Burg’s Spirituality Involvement and Beliefs Scale-R, 2006), and subjective happiness (Lyubomirsky & Lepper’s Subjective Happiness Scale, 1999). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that participating in athletic activities, having balance between challenge and skills, and being more spiritual contributed to greater happiness. Spirituality was the greatest predictor of happiness over and above the level of flow and the activity setting. If spirituality enriches meaning making, findings suggest that engaging in a meaningful activity may be more important to finding happiness than the type of activity or level of engagement.