Testing The Benefits Theory of Leisure Wellbeing

The purpose of this study is to empirically test Sirgy, Uysal, & Kruger’s (2017) benefits theory of leisure wellbeing in the March 2017 issue of the Applied Research in Quality of Life. The theoretical model posits that leisure activities contribute to leisure wellbeing by satisfying a set of basic needs (benefits related to safety, health, economic, sensory, escape, and sensation) and growth needs (symbolic, aesthetic, moral, mastery, relatedness, and distinctiveness), moderated by corresponding personality variables (safety consciousness, health conscious, price sensitivity, hedonism, escapism, sensation seeking, status consciousness, aestheticism, moral sensitivity, mastery seeking, extroversion, and need for distinction, respectively). The model was tested using data collected in South Korea using a sample of 502 adult leisure activity participants. The study results supported the theoretical notion that leisure activities contribute to leisure wellbeing through perceived benefits pertaining to safety, health, economic, sensory, escape, and sensation (benefits related to basic needs) as well as perceived benefits pertaining to symbolic, aesthetic, moral, mastery, relatedness, and distinctiveness (benefits related to growth needs). The results also indicate that personality variables influence the perception of leisure benefits, which in turn has a direct effect on leisure wellbeing. In other words, the results largely support the mediation, not moderation, effects of personality variables on leisure wellbeing. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.