lack of leisure time essay

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Americans work less than ever before but still feel like there's no free time — and there's a simple explanation

• S creen-based devices eat up what precious free time we have left.
• For a lot of people time not spent working feels like a waste.

The number of hours Americans work has  gone down over the last several decades, according to data from the OECD, while leisure time has gone up. But that's hardly the perception for many working people.

The psychologist Adam Alter offered one reason in his 2017 TED talk "Why our screens make us less happy."  He says that screen-based devices eat up what precious free time we have left.

But that may only be part of the story when it comes to the lack of leisure time. Here's why it feels like you have no free time anymore.

Our view of free time has changed.

Now that Americans have left the Industrial Age for the Information Age, the way people think about the value of time has changed.

Psychologists have found people do actually equate time with its monetary value (i.e. "Time is money."). At the same time, people have more opportunities than ever for multi-tasking. The result is time not spent working feels like a waste.

"Multi-tasking is what makes us feel pressed for time," Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, told the Economist .

People are working from home more often.

A 2017 Gallup survey of 15,000 American workers found that 43% of people spent at least some of their time working remotely — an increase of four percentage points since 2012.

They're also doing it more often: While the share of people who said they work remotely one day a week or less has fallen since 2012, the share of people who do it four or five times a week has risen, from 24% to 31%.

On the one hand, more flexibility in where to work has made it easier for parents and people who travel a lot to get their work done. But it's also had the side effect of getting people comfortable with working at home, at times they'd normally be relaxing.

We are spending longer hours in the office.

A 2011 survey of more than 300 companies in the US and Canada found nearly two-thirds of employers were demanding longer hours of their employees than they did three years prior.

Roughly half said they expected the longer hours to get even longer over the next three years.

According to additional survey results, the attitude may be due to the fact employers weren't aware that workers felt their mental health had suffered due to the longer hours.

People are spending their weekends working.

Another consequence of having constant access to mobile technology is that industries can work round-the-clock, which includes Saturday and Sunday. Americans, more than any residents of any other country, spend their weekends working,  according to OECD data, 

The 2014 data show 29% of American employees had worked over the weekend at some point during the past year. Fewer than 25% of people in Germany and 10% of people in Spain reported the same.

Flexibility to work remotely has also contributed to the ease of working weekends.

What free time people do have, they spend it on their devices.

Finally, once people do get free time, they tend to squander the opportunity by retreating to their phones or tablets.

NYU psychologist Adam Alter has found in his research that screen time has increased dramatically over the last decade. In 2007, people spent only a fraction of their free time on devices. By 2017, the ratio had flipped: People now spend a fraction of their time  not  on devices.

"That's where your humanity lives," Alter told the TED audience, referring to the portion of time where you are undistracted by technology. "And right now it's in a very small box."

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Why Leisure Is Never a Waste of Time

How we view leisure activities affects the mental health benefits they provide..

Posted September 28, 2021 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

• Leisure activities are associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as an increased sense of well-being.
• New research shows that viewing leisure time as wasteful or unproductive can undermine its benefits.
• Fan activities are a form of "serious leisure" that can improve well-being as long as they are not viewed as a waste of time.

The past 18 months have brought new challenges as people have negotiated the new norms and restrictions of a global pandemic. Many of the things that brought people joy were no longer possible. Concerts were canceled. Theater productions shut down. Vacation plans were postponed. There were fewer opportunities for leisure, defined as the use of free time for enjoyment. Leisure activities are not work-related. We engage in recreational and leisure activities as an escape from work, with the intent of experiencing joy and pleasure.

Some of the changes in leisure time were not due to COVID-19 restrictions, but to an increased discomfort with doing things that are not considered productive during such a serious time. With so much cultural emphasis on being busy and purposeful, leisure can feel unproductive or even selfish, leading to feelings of guilt . While some people felt guilty about taking time for leisure activities even before COVID, being confronted with an increased threat of illness in everyday life made it even more difficult to do something just for the enjoyment of doing it. At a time when we’re all busier than ever, who has the time to do something just for fun?

A new study finds that devaluing leisure time, however, may not be good for us.

The Impact of Viewing Leisure as a Waste of Time

In a recent analysis of four research studies with over 1,300 participants in four different countries, people who felt that leisure activities were a waste of time had higher levels of depression , anxiety , and stress than those who valued engaging in leisure pursuits.

Even when those people who believe leisure is wasteful did allow themselves some leisure time, they were less able to enjoy themselves—and thus less able to experience the benefits. Believing that leisure is unproductive undermined their enjoyment of whatever leisure activity they were pursuing, especially when the activity was undertaken as an end in itself without any instrumental goal.

The Benefits of Leisure

Far from being a waste of time, engaging in leisure and recreational activities has been found to have significant benefits. Taking time to nurture the self, whether it’s taking a candlelit bath, a brisk walk in the park, or watching a favorite TV show, can help us manage stress, provide a sense of balance, and bolster our self-esteem . There are both physical and psychological benefits of leisure time, with reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression; improved mood; and higher levels of positive emotion . Engaging in recreational activities can also lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Psychologists have long recognized the benefits of leisure in improving well-being. Bandura felt that leisure experiences were essential to healthy development, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs included leisure as one of the components of self-actualization. Pursuing an activity that is not considered traditionally productive, but “just for me,” can provide a sense of control and choice that many people do not feel in their everyday lives. Living through a pandemic has reduced that sense of control even more, leading to greater feelings of helplessness and depression. Engaging in a leisure activity just for the pleasure of it can be a powerful antidote. Even outside of a pandemic, people who engage in recreational activities report greater satisfaction with their lives overall.

The challenges of the pandemic have increased concerns about productivity . With more people working from home and online, there can be pressure to be constantly working. However, working constantly without a break can reduce productivity; taking a break for some leisure time can lead to renewed energy and cognitive efficiency, as well as a more positive mood when work is resumed.

Fandom as "Serious Leisure"

Many aspects of fandom are a type of leisure activity. Fans who participate in creating fan fiction or fan art, or who travel to fan conventions or concerts or football games, are engaging in what is known as serious leisure. This concept is based on the idea of involvement, a psychological trait defined as a state of motivation , arousal, or interest toward a recreational activity or associated product—anything from a television show to an actor to a basketball team. The level of involvement takes into account the pleasure a person gets from participating in the leisure activity, how often they engage in it and for how long, and how important that show or actor or team is to the person.

The same mental health benefits that flow from any type of leisure apply to most fan activities, but fans struggle with similar feelings of guilt about engaging in something that is not seen as productive. Of course, the individual must also navigate the constraints to participating in serious leisure, including time and money spent. People use the strategy of constraint negotiation to avoid or reduce the impact of the barriers to leisure participation and enjoyment. Fans who are able to balance those constraints can benefit from engaging in fandom-related leisure activities, including stress reduction, self-expression, a sense of belongingness, and an opportunity to experience joy.

Any type of leisure activity can have a positive impact on quality of life. If you’re a fan of something, make space in your busy day for indulging in a little bit of leisure time to enjoy the thing you love. Watch a Marvel movie or an episode of Supernatural . Read some fanfiction—or write some. Attend an online fan convention if travel to an in-person one isn’t financially or practically feasible. Crochet a little Loki or Wonder Woman.

However you choose to use the leisure time as a fan, try not to let feelings of guilt interfere with the joy the experience can bring. Far from being a waste of time, those moments of leisure can lower stress at a time when we all need that.

LinkedIn image: Kate Kultsevych/Shutterstock. Facebook image: Taras Grebinets/Shutterstock

Tonietto, G.N., Malkoc, S.A., Reczek, R.W. & Norton, M.I. (2021). Viewing leisure as wasteful undermines enjoyment. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 97. doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104198.

Havitz, M. & Dimanche, F. (1997). Leisure involvement revisited: Conceptual conundrums and measurement advances. Journal of Leisure Research, 29 (3), 245-278.

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

Zhang, J. & Zhang, Y. (2017). How do academic stress and leisure activities influence college students’ emotional wellbeing? A daily diary investigation. Journal of Adolescence , 60, 114-118.

Lynn Zubernis, Ph.D. , is a professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Her new book is There'll Be Peace When You Are Done.

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Essay on Importance Of Leisure Time Reading Questions and Answers

Ielts reading passage – essay on importance of leisure time.

Essay on Importance Of Leisure Time

In simple words, leisure is the free time of an individual life besides their busy schedule. Generally, the holidays with no piled-up tasks or the not occupied days are the leisure time. Leisure is the form of freedom from domestic chores, professional life or business activities, education, or health complications with a relieved mind and no pending tasks. The time of unpaid duties is also not reflected by leisure as you get occupied by some of the other household chores and even babysitting. Thus, leisure is the untouched time by any physical activity.

Pursuing this further, leisure is not a weekly time in one’s life. The schedule of the current generation has been so occupied that leisure is almost eliminated from their monthly routine. A lot of times, strugglers or established personalities go through severe emotional traumas as they lack self-time in their life. They become so occupied with their tasks and homely chores that they forget about their interest and neglect what they love, focusing on what others want them to get attached to. Thus, the prior importance of leisure time in one’s life is for self-realization. This allows one to think about what they are doing and decide whether they are going on the desired track or not. The frustrated or panicked mind often allows us to do a lot of things that are not planned or desired by ourselves. During this phase, leisure allows us to think about it and work on them well. 

In addition to this, the exploration of one’s interest gets a priority during leisure. We often end the passion due to professionals’ economy playing a vital role. The suppressed interest can get into the limelight or the un-successful plans of traveling or exploring get evolved with leisure. The fresh entry back to the work or regular lifestyle is possible only with leisure time in life. After all, leaving the regular bag of office, institution, family, domestic works, and gadgets is important to realize how happy life can be in absence of them and in the presence of a real lovable individual or the environment where one always wanted to be. The allocation should not be made into a routine with hours set but there has to be freedom to be yourself apart from what the situation wants you to be or fit in the role.

In the final analysis, a healthy relationship, a balanced life, a proper reliable profession, and a happy family is possible only with an emotionally and physically stable individual. In this regard, leisure allows you to realize what has been missing in my life and what you need to achieve so far. Leisure is a time taken by an individual to explore themselves and make a to-do list or go through the already made one. Hence, leisure is a key for a happy life and a necessity for a busy schedule because humans cannot live a life of machines and emotional stability requires relieving actions. 

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An essay about leisure time and academic pressure.

Look at the question and problem and solution essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills. 

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Do you have to learn a lot of things by heart for exams? Is that a good or a bad thing?

Do you have enough leisure time?

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IELTS Essay, topic: Leisure time activities

• IELTS Essays - Band 6

Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that develop the mind, such as reading and doing crossword puzzles. Others feel that it is important to give one’s mind a rest in leisure time. Discuss.

Some people want to relax after their day of work. These people may prefer to relax by watching movies, reading or getting a massage. People who have a such as doctors, teachers and builders may choose these types of activities. If you are a doctor, you may feel that you want to let your body rest after work and you don’t want to do a five kilometer run after work, because you are already physically tired.

On the other hand, some people choose to be active in their leisure time because they do . For example, these people many spend all day sitting on a chair and their work. At the end of a working day, they a backache, and all of their body tired so they need to stretch their arms and improve their health by doing some activity such as going to the gym or swimming.

To sum up, the important thing is that people want to stay healthy by choosing what is best for them. In my view, the wrong way is to stay at home in your leisure time if you have a job.

This essay needs work. It has the right structure and covers the task. However there are many poorly structured sentences, many of the sentences are too simple and don’t have enough complexity, there are grammatical errors and some prepositions are use incorrectly (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, this looks like a Band 6 – 6.5 essay.

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Essay on Importance Of Leisure Time

In simple words, leisure is the free time of an individual life besides their busy schedule. Generally, the holidays with no piled-up tasks or the not occupied days are the leisure time. Leisure is the form of freedom from domestic chores, professional life or business activities, education, or health complications with a relieved mind and no pending tasks. The time of unpaid duties is also not reflected by leisure as you get occupied by some of the other household chores and even babysitting. Thus, leisure is the untouched time by any physical activity.

Pursuing this further, leisure is not a weekly time in one’s life. The schedule of the current generation has been so occupied that leisure is almost eliminated from their monthly routine. A lot of times, strugglers or established personalities go through severe emotional traumas as they lack self-time in their life. They become so occupied with their tasks and homely chores that they forget about their interest and neglect what they love, focusing on what others want them to get attached to. Thus, the prior importance of leisure time in one’s life is for self-realization. This allows one to think about what they are doing and decide whether they are going on the desired track or not. The frustrated or panicked mind often allows us to do a lot of things that are not planned or desired by ourselves. During this phase, leisure allows us to think about it and work on them well. 

In addition to this, the exploration of one’s interest gets a priority during leisure. We often end the passion due to professionals’ economy playing a vital role. The suppressed interest can get into the limelight or the un-successful plans of traveling or exploring get evolved with leisure. The fresh entry back to the work or regular lifestyle is possible only with leisure time in life. After all, leaving the regular bag of office, institution, family, domestic works, and gadgets is important to realize how happy life can be in absence of them and in the presence of a real lovable individual or the environment where one always wanted to be. The allocation should not be made into a routine with hours set but there has to be freedom to be yourself apart from what the situation wants you to be or fit in the role.

In the final analysis, a healthy relationship, a balanced life, a proper reliable profession, and a happy family is possible only with an emotionally and physically stable individual. In this regard, leisure allows you to realize what has been missing in my life and what you need to achieve so far. Leisure is a time taken by an individual to explore themselves and make a to-do list or go through the already made one. Hence, leisure is a key for a happy life and a necessity for a busy schedule because humans cannot live a life of machines and emotional stability requires relieving actions. 

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How I Spent My Leisure Time (Essay Sample)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Meaningfully engaging in life is investing in the things that you enjoy doing most. What gives you much joy and inspires you? What makes you feel giddy and relaxed at the end of doing it?

This essay focuses on leisure activities. The author explains his uses of leisure time and encourages others to get involved in leisure activities that are both fulfilling and satisfying at the end of a long day.

To try your hand at doing a custom essay on how you spend your leisure time, we’d be happy to help you with our essay writing services .

How I Spend My Leisure Time Essay

I admit that I am a very busy person, but I still believe in finding time to unwind and do enjoyable things. I intentionally block off time for leisure in my calendar. I also make it a point to aside resources and plan meticulously to ensure I get maximum relaxation from it.

Leisure is important to mental and physical wellness and should be taken seriously. It is a conscious decision I make to ensure that I am able to experience it regularly. Taking time out renews my vigor to tackle the challenging tasks I come across daily, as I am able to take breaks to reflect on a few issues about life. I mostly plan my leisure time on the weekends so that I can make space for my family and friends.

This is a short description of how I spend my leisure breaks.

How I Make My Free Time Count

My favorite way to spend my leisure time would be to hang out with my friends at the beach. I enjoy the cool breeze from the ocean and watching people have fun on the shore. Walking along the shores of the beach calms my inner chaos. Occasionally, I collect seashells on the beach and bring them to my siblings. Most of these outdoor activities highly depend on how favorable the weather is.

I also make the effort to make calls to friends I am unable to physically visit and check in on. Sometimes, the walks alone can take up my whole afternoon.

Other times, I like listening to the music albums of my favorite artists as I stroll along the beach. When the weather is hot, I like swimming on the beach or joining my friends to go fishing in deeper waters. Recently, I tried scuba diving and I liked the experience. I hope that I get to try it again soon. The breathtaking view of the reef is amazing. 

Sometimes, the weather confines me indoors, but that does not mean I cannot have a good leisure break.

If I am having my leisure getaway indoors, I like trying out new recipes and different cuisines from all over the world. Being busy in the kitchen trying out new dishes is enjoyable, to say the least. The meals don’t always turn out the way I expect them to, but the experience is always fun for me. 

Alternatively, I like reading non-fiction books, particularly those that talk about historical events, while relaxing on the couch. I like doing this with soft jazz playing in the background as I peruse through the pages.

At times, I also go to the cinemas and theaters and catch up on the latest movies and plays with friends. There are times when I just want to stay at home and catch up on my go-to shows. I like playing dance games competitively with my brother especially when he is in town. Although he is a better dancer than I am, we both enjoy the dance and have fun together.

I also travel to Africa annually and go on safaris or hike in the mountains. The experience is always great – from socializing with people of different cultures to watching animal wildlife in their natural habitat. The days I spend in Africa leave indelible memories in my mind and encourage me to save up to return and experience more.

The activities I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. I really like making the most out of my leisure breaks. All these experiences and memories push me to invest in rest.

I don’t know how you make use of your spare time, but I hope that you are using it well. It could simply be a matter of engaging in your hobbies, spending time with loved ones, soaking in nature, or even reading books. As long as it makes you feel happy and recharged by the time the next week rolls in, it is worth doing.

Different people have different kinds of preferences when it comes to maximizing their free time. There are so many activities to choose from – so there’s no excuse not to indulge in getaways for yourself.

Essay About A Leisure Time Activity

What do you do when you have so much free time that you can actually take extended time off?

I have had the blessing of enjoying a lot of free moments lately and it has given me the opportunity to get involved in the many things that give me joy. One of them is reading novels. I am a staunch fan of murder mysteries. I can never get enough breathers to go through them during a busy week at school, so my collection has been gathering dust at home. I have recently been able to finish two books each weekend, and I’m really enjoying it.

Another activity that I love doing is to write down my plans for the future. I don’t just mean plans for the next year. I like envisioning myself five or ten years from where I am and dreaming of what I’ll be able to accomplish by then.

Finally, I like playing games and indulging in recreational activities. Board games are a guilty pleasure for me. I recently rediscovered my love for classic Monopoly and word puzzles and have been challenging my family and friends for intense rematches on weekends.

What Are Popular Ways To Spend Leisure Time?

There are plenty of ways to wind down in your spare moments. There are those who get involved in competitive sports. Others want something more relaxing and simply hang out with family. More adventurous people travel to other parts of the world to experience and soak in another culture. Others write down their ideas. There are a rare few who spend days in the library looking to expand their knowledge on a certain topic or subject of interest. Then there are the more fun, casual, and popular group activities, such as karaoke, cocktails, hotel stays, and pampering trips.

Why Is Leisure Time Important?

Making space to relax and the wind is essential in making sure you can still excel in the other areas of your life. People say that rest is actually a life strategy. You don’t necessarily rest because you are lazy and don’t want to deal with your obligations. You get to rest for the ultimate good of those activities. It almost seems counterproductive, for example, to do a catnap the night before a heavy deadline. But ten minutes of sleep can actually re-energize your brain and refuel your creative juices so that you can power through the night and finish that requirement. Getting those breathers for yourself also protects you from burnout, which is a common ailment in today’s busy world where everything demands your time and attention. It gives you fresh starts, especially when you feel uninspired and stuck.

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The relationship between leisure activities and mental health: The impact of resilience and COVID‐19

Yuta takiguchi.

1 Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa Japan

2 Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa Japan

Mariko Kikutani

Associated data.

Table S 1.2. The characteristics of respondents by six age groups at first survey (N = 1200)

Table S2. The number of participants for leisure, daily, and device using activities at 1st survey

Table S3. The number of participants and frequency of all activity at 1st and 2nd surveys

Table S4. The number of participants in each type of change for all leisure activities

Table S5. Intercorrelations of demographic, activities, mental health variables by survey

The data supporting this study's findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Engaging in leisure activities promotes mental health. The effect is likely associated with resilience as the broaden‐and‐build theory suggests positive emotions elicited from leisure increase mental resources for stress coping. The present research examined whether participating in different leisure activities at a given time increases the level of resilience, which in turn reduces psychological problems. It also investigated the changes in people's leisure activities due to the COVID‐19 outbreak and the impact of these changes on their mental health. Japanese participants ( N  = 300) responded to two online surveys conducted before (January 2020) and after the outbreak (February 2021). They selected the leisure activities they had engaged in from 100 choices and reported their levels of resilience and depressive symptoms. An analysis of covariates revealed that the total number of selected activities significantly reduced in the second survey, but the levels of resilience and depressive symptoms remained constant. Regression analysis showed that the reduction in leisure activities did not predict depressive symptoms. However, structural equation modeling established that the relationship between leisure and depression was mediated by resilience, supporting the initial hypothesis. Importantly, this relationship slightly differed by age group, likely because popular activities and their psychological impacts vary depending on age.

INTRODUCTION

Leisure activities play an essential role in maintaining good mental health (Verghese et al.,  2006 ). Leisure is defined as activities that people perform when they are free from the obligations imposed by their occupation, family, or society; thus, essential activities for a living, such as sleeping, working, and housework, are not included. The purpose of leisure activities is diverse, such as relaxing, enjoying, acquiring skills, and contributing to society (Kleiber & Nimrod,  2009 ). Engaging in leisure activities is likely to mitigate the negative effects of stressful experiences that threaten physical and psychological health (Iwasaki et al.,  2005 ; Lawton et al.,  2002 ). Several studies have shown that participating in a variety of leisure activities at a given time promotes subjective well‐being (e.g. Cummings,  2002 ). Moreover, a higher level of leisure engagement predicts greater life satisfaction in the next few years (Menec & Chipperfield,  1997 ). Leisure activities are likely to work as a buffer against stressful experiences by promoting positive emotions related to self‐fulfillment and well‐being. Consequently, they work to prevent mental illnesses, such as depression.

The mechanism of the preventive effect of leisure activities on mental illness may relate to the psychological construct of resilience. Resilience is a part of cognitive functioning that encompasses stress‐coping dynamics such as adaptation to challenging life events and adversarial situations (Nishi et al.,  2010 ; Richardson,  2002 ). The definition of resilience is somewhat confusing, and literature often takes either of the two separate views, focusing on a trait‐level adaptation or a state‐level adaptation. Recently, however, Kuldas and Foody ( 2021 ) have disagreed with the trait–state dualism and suggested that resilience is a transactional or dynamic process brought by interactions between intrapersonal, interpersonal, and risk characteristics surrounding individuals. Nevertheless, a high level of resilience enables people to employ effective coping skills, promoting receptive attitudes, enhancing positive ruminations, and encouraging behavior planning that improves mental health (Kleiber et al.,  2002 ). The direct impact of resilience on various mental disorders has been well established (Alim et al.,  2008 ). Even severe depressive symptoms caused by extremely stressful events can be weakened by the function of resilience (Wingo et al.,  2010 ). Leisure activities influence individuals' intrapersonal aspects (e.g. acquiring skills and becoming physically fitter) as well as interpersonal aspects (e.g. making friends); thus, they have a great potential to enhance resilience and contribute to better mental health.

Research has found that leisure activities can immediately improve subjective well‐being by eliciting positive emotions, which leads to effective stress‐coping strategies in the long term (Iwasaki,  2006 ). Denovan and Macaskill ( 2017 ) explained how leisure activities enhance resilience using the broaden‐and‐build theory (Fredrickson,  2001 ), which suggests that experiences of positive emotions enrich the quality of one's thoughts and action plans, which in turn provide personal resources to enhance coping strategies. Increased resilience then promotes subjective well‐being and coping strategies for forthcoming stressful situations (Reschly et al.,  2008 ). The present research investigated the relationship between leisure activities, resilience, and mental health.

The research also focused on the impact of age on those variables. Generally, preferred leisure activities shift according to life stages (Janke et al.,  2010 ; Sivan & Siu,  2021 ). In addition, commitments to certain activities, such as outdoor sports, shopping, and traveling, often decrease with age due to restrictions in physical mobility (Strain et al.,  2002 ). Such a decrease in leisure for older people may have a negative impact on their resilience.

THE IMPACT OF COVID‐19 ON LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH

COVID‐19 has brought significant changes to our lifestyles, including leisure (e.g. Gammon & Ramshaw,  2021 ), marked by the huge decline in traveling and group activities. At the same time, engagement in activities at home, in open areas, or in private spaces (e.g. driving) has increased. Participation in private physical activities (e.g. walking, jogging, and weight training) has shown a similar trend. This indicates that the pandemic has brought a dynamic change to people's leisure activities rather than simply preventing them.

However, the overall impact of COVID‐19 on mental health is undoubtedly negative. The increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders has been reported worldwide (e.g. Czeisler et al.,  2020 ; Wang et al.,  2020 ). Therefore, it is important to address mental health issues within the context of the pandemic. The present research aimed to investigate the relationship between leisure activities and mental health and how it is affected by the pandemic. The mechanism of the negative impact of the pandemic on mental health is likely to involve heightened anxiety about the disease and increased loneliness due to isolation resulting from social distancing measures (Keller et al.,  2022 ). Leisure participation provides people with opportunities to interact with each other. So changes in leisure may directly relate to people's quality of social interactions, which could affect mental health negatively.

This study targeted people living in Japan. Japanese have shown similar lifestyle changes to people in other countries, noted by the reduction in interpersonal contacts and traveling (Parady et al.,  2020 ). The mental health deterioration among Japanese is also reported (e.g. Kikuchi et al.,  2020 ). However, the impact of the pandemic on leisure and mental health can still vary across countries due to variations in governmental prevention measures (Japanese measure is, e.g., notably unrestrictive) and culture. Only a few Japanese studies on leisure activities and the pandemic have been published. Longitudinal studies directly comparing the situation before and after the spread of COVID‐19 are especially scarce. Thus, the present study attempted to fill the gaps in this research topic. It also investigated whether the impact of the pandemic was variable depending on age.

Study objectives

One difficulty in leisure research is to decide which aspect of leisure to focus on (e.g. activity types or frequency of engagement). Regarding mental illnesses, leisure activities affect them positively, but the responsive aspect is not fully determined. Frequently focused aspect is the activity types, and the impacts of physical exercises (e.g. aerobic and strength training) are often investigated. It is reported that the physical aspect of leisure significantly reduces depressive symptoms (Paluska & Schwenk,  2000 ). Instead of the activity types, the present research focused on the variations of activities that individuals performed in a given period. It is because diversity in daily activities should be related to resilience building. Because resilience is strongly associated with flexible thinking and multiple perspectives (Waugh et al.,  2008 ), people with more diverse experiences would build resilience more efficiently than those with less diverse experiences. Thus, it is expected that people who engage in various leisure activities at a given time will have higher levels of resilience than those who participate in less diverse activities. Those with high resilience are also expected to withstand the psychological difficulties caused by COVID‐19.

This study investigated the change in leisure activities using a survey conducted twice with the same sample: The first one was in January 2020, just before the start of the pandemic, and the second one was conducted a year later. Japanese nationals aged between 20 to over 70 were asked to select activities they had engaged in and indicate the duration and frequency of the engagement. A total of 100 activities were presented. The participants' levels of resilience and depressive symptoms were also measured. It was hypothesised that (1) the number of leisure activities participated at a time is related to the level of resilience and depressive symptoms, (2) changes in leisure participation due to the pandemic are associated with changes in mental health among people, and (3) participants with the higher level of resilience before pandemic (thus participated in larger number of leisure activities) tend to have less severe depressive symptoms during the pandemic.

Participants and procedure

The survey was conducted online through a research company, which recruited registered members to participate in this study and reimbursed them. The survey took place twice (January 2020 and February 2021). The target number of participants for the first survey was 1200, consisting of 200 people in each of the following six age groups: 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s or above. The number of men and women in each group was equal. The research company continued to recruit participants until the target number of responses was collected (the refusal/incomplete response rate was not disclosed to the authors). The samples were randomly chosen from all areas of Japan. The main analyses were planned to be performed by dividing participants into three age groups (young: 20–39, middle: 40–59, and older: 60–89), and a sample calculation revealed that approximately 300 participants were required (see Section  3.3 ). It was aimed to obtain twice as many participants as the requirement. So the target number of participants was set to 1200 with an expected dropout rate of 50 per cent. Unfortunately, the second survey yielded a much higher dropout rate, and only 300 participants responded (164 men and 136 women; mean age = 53.5, SD  = 15.15). The characteristics of the 1200 respondents and a comparison of the first and second samples are reported in Supplemental S1 . It was shown that the second survey sample was a fairly unbiased subset of the initial 1200 respondents.

In both surveys, the participants were asked to select the leisure activities they had engaged in. They also reported the total duration of engagement and frequency of engagement for each activity they chose. Similar questions were asked about daily activities, such as housework. Finally, the levels of resilience and depressive symptoms were assessed. The procedure of the second survey was identical to the first. All participants provided informed consent. The surveys were conducted anonymously, and participants were allowed to withdraw at any time. This study met the ethical guidelines of Kanazawa University.

Leisure activities

A hundred leisure activities (e.g. watching movies, reading, and playing golf) were listed for participants to select from (see Supplemental S2 ). These were taken from previous Japanese research targeting a wide range of age groups (Iwasa & Yoshida,  2018 ; Iwasa et al.,  2019 ; Kozono et al.,  2016 ) as well as from an official survey on leisure activities created by Japanese government. Participants could write down activities that were not included in the list. For each of the selected activities, participants reported the total number of years (in units of 0.5 years) that they had regularly performed it. The frequency of commitments was also measured using a 5‐point scale (1 =  a few times a year to 5 =  almost every day ).

Mental health

Levels of resilience and depressive symptoms were measured as indicators of mental health. A Japanese version of the Resilience Scale (Nishi et al.,  2010 ) was used. It has 25 items measuring the key components of resilience, such as determination and perseverance (e.g. “Manage one way or other”) and adaptability to adversity (e.g. “I do not dwell on things”). These items were rated on a 7‐point scale (1 =  not at all agree to 7 =  strongly agree ). This scale's interitem reliability (Cronbach's alpha) is reported to be .90 (Nishi et al.,  2010 ). The extent of depressive symptoms was measured using the two‐item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐2; Kroenke et al.,  2003 ). It is often used for screening and is derived from the original nine‐item version (PHQ‐9). The PHQ‐2 asks about the presence of anhedonia and depressed mood within the last 2 weeks, using a 4‐point scale (0 =  not at all to 3 =  nearly every day ). The Japanese version has been confirmed reliable and valid (Inagaki et al.,  2013 ). Cronbach's alpha for this scale is reported to be .76 (Yu et al.,  2011 ). The total score of the two questions being three or higher indicates depressive disorder. The Cronbach's alpha values in the present study was as follows: resilience at first survey = .96, second = .97; PHQ at first = .85, second = .90. These were similar to the aforementioned values in the past studies.

Other variables

Participants' demographic information included age, gender, years of education, employment status, and having children/grandchildren or not. For employment, participants were first asked to choose their status from “I am currently working,” “I have worked in the past, but not now,” and “I have never worked.” Next, the total number of jobs held and years in employment were reported. A summary of these characteristics is presented in Table  1 . In addition, participants were asked to choose the daily activities they engaged in from nine choices (e.g. laundry, cooking, and cleaning) and the electronic devices they usually used. The items for electronic devices were smartphones, tablets, and PCs. The rating scales for these activities were identical to those for leisure activities. The daily activities and device usage were asked to see whether they were related to participants' leisure activities. For example, more daily activities are associated with fewer leisure activities.

A summary of demographics, the mean number of selected activities, and mean mental health scores for the participants in the three age groups

Data analysis

The data from the 300 participants who answered both surveys were analyzed. Three primary analyses were conducted, using the demographic variables (gender, currently employed or not, years of education, and having children/grandchildren or not) as covariates. First, the number of selected leisure activities and mental health scores between the two surveys were compared while controlling the demographic variables by conducting analysis of covariance tests (ANCOVAs). Bonferroni multiple comparison tests were used for post hoc assessments. Second, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to examine whether a reduction in leisure activities (the number of selected activities in the first survey was subtracted from that in the second survey) and a lower level of resilience predict more severe depressive symptoms. This analysis was performed separately for each age group. For the regression model, the demographic variables and the resilience scores at the first survey were entered in Step 1. The change of leisure, daily activities, and device usage were entered in Step 2. The R 2 change from Step 1 to Step 2 was examined to see whether the change in leisure activities led to a better prediction of depression. A residual analysis (normality tests for the residuals) of the obtained model was performed to validate it. In order to verify the results of the multiple regression, a logistic regression analysis was performed with the same model after categorically converting the PHQ‐2 scores based on its clinical cutoff point (below or above the cutoff score of 3).

Finally, an exploratory model proposing that resilience has a mediating effect on the relationship between leisure activities and depressive symptoms was constructed. The model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), which draws possible causal relationships as direct paths between variables. The hypothesised model was evaluated using the root mean‐square error of approximation (RMSEA), goodness‐of‐fit index (GFI), and the comparative fit index (CFI). RMSEA below .05 and GFI and CFI above .95 were considered good fit (Hu & Bentler,  1999 ). Indirect effects were examined using a mediation analysis with the bias‐corrected bootstrap 95 per cent confidence intervals (CI) procedure (Hayes,  2017 ). SPSS ver. 25 was used for the ANCOVAs and multiple regression, while SEM was performed using Amos ver. 27.

For using the age variable in analyses, the present research divided participants into three groups (young: 20–39, middle: 40–59, and older: 60–89) rather than treating it as a continuous variable. The literature on leisure often describes that preferred leisure activities tend to change along with life stage development, such as getting married, having children, and getting career promotions (Akar et al.,  2012 ; Havighurst & Feigenbaum,  1959 ). Although people of a similar age tend to experience similar life stage development, the time to experience specific life events still varies across individuals to a great extent. Thus, incorporating age groups into analyses would be more effective in capturing those lifestyle changes than treating age as a continuous variable. Therefore, the ANCOVAs, regression, and SEM analyses in the present research used the three age groups.

Before conducting the above analyses, the authors examined whether the sample size of 300 was enough using GPower software (Erdfelder et al.,  1996 ). For the two‐way ANCOVA, the software calculated that 158 participants would be enough to observe a medium effect size (Cohen's d  = .25, α  = .05, power = .80). For the multiple regression analyses, 231 participants (77 participants in each of the three age groups 1 ) would be enough to observe a small to medium effect size (Cohen's d  = .12, α  = .05, power = .80), which is thought to be sufficient in psychology research (see Funder & Ozer,  2019 ).

The changes in leisure activities

Some participants mentioned five activities as not being included in the list of 100. Among the total of 105 leisure activities, those selected by fewer than three participants were removed from the following analyses for data clean‐up. Seven items were removed, leaving 98 leisure activities. Next, the total number of selected leisure activities for each participant was counted. The summary of the three age groups is reported in Table  1 , along with the number of selected daily activities, electronic devices, and mean mental health scores. An ANCOVA was performed to examine whether the number of selected leisure activities changed between the two surveys and whether it differed by age. A within‐subject factor was the survey (first vs. second), and a between factor was the age group (young vs. middle vs. older). Participants' demographic variables (age, years of education, currently employed or not, and having children/grandchildren or not) were included as covariates. The partial eta‐squared values ( η p 2 ) were reported as effect sizes, indicating the following: .01 to .06 = small, 07 to .14 = medium, above .14 = large.

Significant main effects of the survey, F (1, 293) = 5.234, p  < .05, η p 2 = .018 , and age, F (2, 293) = 3.805, p  < .05, η p 2 = .025 , were found, showing that fewer leisure activities were selected in the second survey and participants in the young group selected more activities than those in the older group. No difference was found between the middle and young or older groups. A two‐way interaction between survey and age was significant, F (2, 293) = 3.073, p  < .05, η p 2 = .021 . An examination of a simple main effect revealed that the difference between the young and older groups was present only in the first survey ( p  < .05). Similar ANCOVAs performed on the number of selected daily activities and device usage revealed no significant main effect of the survey, F s < 1, p s > .05. An interaction between survey and age was found for electronic device usage, F (2, 293) = 4.62, p  < .05, η p 2 = .031 , revealing that fewer numbers of electronic devices were selected in the second survey than the first among the young ( p  < .001) and middle groups ( p  < .05). No other effect was found.

Next, the differences between the two surveys were analyzed by individual activities. The selection of the 1200 participants in the first survey was summarized in Supplemental S2 . The comparison between the first and second surveys was summarized in Supplemental S3 . In almost all activities, the number of participants who chose them reduced from the first to the second survey. When the frequency of performance, measured with a 5‐point scale, was compared across the two surveys using an independent sample t ‐test, 93 out of 98 leisure activities were performed significantly less frequently at the time of the second survey. Finally, the proportion of people who quit or continued each activity throughout the 1‐year period was examined. The proportions of participants who selected each activity in both surveys, in the first survey only, and in the second survey only, were calculated. The result is reported in Supplemental S4 . The most common response was to select the activity in the first survey but not in the second. However, there were some exceptions. Activities taking place indoors and performed solely (e.g. watching movies, knitting, and reading) were continued at the time of the second survey. Physical exercises performed alone (e.g. jogging, yoga, walking, and muscle training) were also continued. New activities participants started by the second survey were mostly home‐based activities (e.g. gardening, playing games, and studying).

The relationship between leisure activities and mental health

The summed scores for the resilience scale and PHQ‐2 were used in subsequent analyses. Their means and standard deviations across the two surveys are presented in Table  1 . The ANCOVA on the selected number of leisure activities was performed on the resilience and PHQ‐2 scores separately. For the resilience score, the main effect of survey was absent, F (1, 293) = 0.12, p  = .725, η p 2 = .001 , but that of age group was present, F (2, 293) = 9.155, p  < .001, η p 2 = .059 . The older group showed higher resilience than the others ( p s < .001). No difference was found between the young and middle groups. The main effect of survey was also absent from the analysis on the PHQ‐2, but the main effect of age group was significant, F (2, 293) = 3.436, p  < .05, η p 2 = .023 . The older adults reported lower depression scores than the young ( p  < .001). No difference was found between the older and middle groups ( p  > .05). No other effect was observed.

Looking into the people who exceeded the PHQ‐2 cutoff (the summed score of the two items is three or more), 12.0 per cent of participants in the first survey fell into the category of being clinically depressed, and the proportion increased to 16.3 per cent in the second survey. This change was statistically significant, χ 2  = 60.02, df  = 1, p  < .001, with a medium effect size ( φ  = .447). Those who exceeded the cutoff in the first survey were the greatest in the young group ( n  = 19, 29.2%), followed by the middle ( n  = 11, 9.7%) and the older groups ( n  = 6, 4.9%). However, in the second survey, the number remained constant for the young ( n  = 18, 27.7%), whereas a noticeable increase was observed for the middle ( n  = 18, 15.9%) and older groups ( n  = 13, 10.7%).

Next, the correlations between leisure activities and mental health were examined. The number of selected leisure activities at the first and the second surveys significantly correlated with resilience measured at the corresponding surveys (first, r (298) = .14; second, r (298) = .12, p s < .05), but not with the PHQ scores (first, r (298) = −.06; second, r (298) = .002). Also, a significant and moderate correlation emerged between the resilience and PHQ (first, r (298) = −.450; second, r (298) = −.395, p s < .01). Next, a hierarchical multiple regression was performed separately for each age group to investigate how reduced leisure variations affected depressive symptoms (measured with the PHQ‐2). The procedure is described in Section  3.3 . The results are reported in Table  2 . The R 2 change (Δ R 2 ) was nonsignificant for all groups, indicating that the reduction of activities alone cannot predict the severity of depression. However, the higher level of resilience was associated with lower depressive symptoms for all. When PHQ scores in the first survey were added to Step 1, the effect of resilience ceased to be significant for the young and middle groups (young: β  = −.114, 95% CI [−0.023, 0.007], middle: β  = −.041, 95% CI [−0.016, 0.010]), meaning that the impact of resilience is stronger for the older adults.

Results of the multiple regression analyses by three age groups

A residual analysis (normality tests for the residuals) for the obtained model was performed to assess its validity. The result revealed a nonnormal distribution of the residuals of this model. It was most likely due to the strongly skewed PHQ‐2 responses. So their distribution was adjusted using logarithmic transformations, and the residual analysis was performed again, but this did not alter the residual distribution. Thus, logistic regression was performed, and the results showed a consistent pattern with the original regression for the young and older group; the reduction in leisure activities, daily activities, and use of electronic devices were not significant predictors of depression. The reduction in activities was somewhat associated with depression in the middle group ( Wald  = 4.196, p  < .05, 95% CI [1.003, 1.124]), but this relationship disappeared when the PHQ in the first survey was included in the model.

The indirect effects of resilience

The previous correlation analyses showed that the number of selected leisure activities was not directly associated with the extent of depressive symptoms but directly related to resilience. Therefore, resilience may mediate the relationship between leisure activities and depression. The absence of a direct relationship between activity reduction and depression in the regression analyses also supports this account. To test this hypothesis, a longitudinal design model was developed in which resilience mediates the relationship between leisure activities and depression symptoms (see Figure  1 ). The demographic variables were included as control variables. The number of daily activities and electronic devices were omitted because the model fitness was substantially reduced when they were included due to their strong correlation with the leisure activities. The analyses were performed with all participants first, followed by separate analyses for the three age groups.

Path analysis examining the mediating role of resilience on depression symptoms ( N  = 300). Note : Covariates are gender, currently employed or not, having children/grandchildren, and years of education at the first survey. All paths from these covariates to dependent variables are omitted for visual clarity. The solid black lines indicate significant paths, and the dashed lines indicate nonsignificant paths. The reported values are β .

The goodness‐of‐fit indices of the model with all participants were reasonable, χ 2 (13) = 20.60, p  = .081, GFI = .99, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .04. As shown in Figure  1 , the leisure activities at both surveys had no direct effect on either of the PHQ scores, but resilience at first survey had significant effects on both PHQs. A mediation analysis revealed that the first leisure activity indirectly related to second PHQ score (mediated by resilience, indirect effect  = −.001, 95% CI = −0.003 to 0.000; mediated by resilience and PHQ in first survey, indirect effect  = −.003, 95% CI = −0.005 to −0.001). This model was superior to other models with reversed variable positions and path directions. Because this study was a longitudinal design, leisure activities, resilience, and depression scores had two measurements each. The level of fit for the alternative models using all these measurements was assessed by adding the cross‐lagged paths or synchronous paths to the model. None of those models showed a better fit than the hypothesised model.

Next, the hypothesised model was assessed by the age groups. The fit indices for the young group were good ( χ 2 (13) = 15.46, p  > .05, GFI = .95, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .05), and those for the middle age group were acceptable ( χ 2 (13) = 13.27, p  > .05, GFI = .98, CFI = .99, RMSEA = .01). Both models showed almost identical paths to the overall model except one. In the young‐ and middle‐group model, the first resilience did not have a direct effect on the second PHQ. The path from the first resilience to the first PHQ was significant for both models (young, β  = −.342, p  < .01; middle, β  = −.342, p  < .01). The leisure activity in the first survey indirectly related to second PHQ score for both groups (young, indirect effect  = −.003, 95% CI = −0.011 to 0.000; middle, indirect effect  = −.006, 95% CI = −0.014 to −0.002). The model also fitted adequately to the older group ( χ 2 (13) = 14.95, p  > .05, GFI = .97, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .04). The significant paths were identical to the overall model except the one between the leisure activity at the first survey and the first resilience score, which was not significant in the older model. In this model, the first resilience score had direct impacts on both PHQs (first: β  = −.436, p  < .001, second: β  = −.186, p  < .05), but no indication that resilience is heightened by leisure activities. Thus, the mediating effect of resilience was not supported for the older group.

This study investigated the relationship between leisure activity and mental health, as well as how it was influenced by COVID‐19. The hypotheses were that (1) the number of leisure activities participated at a time is related to the level of resilience and depressive symptoms, (2) changes in leisure participation due to the pandemic are associated with changes in mental health among people, and (3) participants with the higher level of resilience before pandemic (thus participated in larger number of leisure activities) tend to have less severe depressive symptoms during the pandemic.

Over the course of 1 year during the pandemic, the number of leisure activities people engaged in decreased regardless of age. The nonstrict policy for COVID‐19 prevention in Japan did not stop people from restricting their leisure activities. At the same time, however, the current data found some evidence for people being keen to find new activities to replace the ones they had to give up, which is consistent with other international studies (e.g. Balanzá‐Martínez et al.,  2020 ).

Although the activity reduction was noticeable, the results of regression analyses showed that the reduction of activities alone could not predict the increase in depressive symptoms. Instead, the direct effect of resilience on depressive symptoms was robust across generations, which is consistent with previous studies (Alim et al.,  2008 ). Importantly, the model that resilience mediated the relationship between leisure activity and depression symptoms was confirmed, suggesting that performing a wide variety of leisure activities in a given time is related to a higher level of resilience, which likely to contribute to reducing the current and future depressive symptoms. It might be the case that highly resilient people have actively looked for alternative activities to substitute the ones they had to give up. The present study focused only on the number of engaged activities, which showed a simple reduction after the COVID‐19 outbreak. However, if alternative activities are good and satisfactory, they might make up for the reduction of the total number in terms of people's resilience building and subjective well‐being. A qualitative investigation of how people alter their leisure activities and how they feel about it may be useful to reveal the leisure‐related coping strategies taken by people with high and low levels of resilience.

The results showed that younger people had lower levels of resilience than older people and reported more severe depressive symptoms. This finding is consistent with previous research demonstrating that resilience increases with age (Nygren et al.,  2005 ). The accumulation of rich life experiences among older generations is most likely to help increase resilience. Kuldas and Foody ( 2021 ) defined resilience as a dynamic interaction of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and risk factors. If that is the case, leisure activities, which influence people intrapersonally and interpersonally, would contribute to one's resilience building throughout the lifetime. There is, however, a possible sampling bias in the present study. The participants were registered members of the online survey company, and thus, they must be very familiar with computers or other electronic devices. Considering that the usage of such devices among older generations is not as common as in younger generations, the older participants in the present research might have been particularly adaptable to new technologies. Such adaptable older adults may have higher levels of resilience than others who do not use those devices.

Recent Japanese culture may also contribute to the lower levels of resilience among young people. Japanese culture is traditionally collectivistic that prioritizes group harmony, but it seems to be shifting towards individualism, which emphasizes the autonomy and responsibility of individuals (Ogihara,  2017 ). In recent Japan, due to the increased individualism, societies require people to take responsibility for themselves rather than relying on others' support. However, the traditional collectivistic value is still strong; thus, belonging to social groups and behaving as expected by other group members are still very important. In this complex cultural trend, many young Japanese people have failed to find a comfortable place in society (Norasakkunkit & Uchida,  2011 ). This cultural trend can prevent young Japanese from building resilience, and consequently, they become more vulnerable to the negative psychological impacts of the pandemic.

Examination of the hypothesised model generally supported the account that engaging in a higher number of leisure activities in a given time increases resilience, which could work for mental health. This is consistent with the notion that resilience is related to flexible thinking and multiple perspectives (Waugh et al.,  2008 ). However, the mediating effect of resilience varied by age. Specifically, the results indicated that the variations mattered for resilience among younger people but not older ones. This may be because popular activities differ depending on age, resulting in different psychological impacts. The present data (see Supplemental S2 ) showed a tendency for younger people to choose activities for momentary entertainment and relaxation. Performing various relaxing activities may help younger people recover from daily labor and obligations, and this may elicit positive emotions, which is essential for resilience building. On the contrary, popular activities among the older adults are more social and involve skill building. Past studies have also found that the activities popular among older people are more strongly related to cognitive functioning, life satisfaction, and well‐being (Iwasa et al.,  2012 ; Menec,  2003 ; Wang et al.,  2012 ), compared with the activities simply for short‐term entertainment (e.g. playing games alone). Engaging in a small number of cognitively taxing activities might be more important for resilience building than engaging in various activities, especially for older people. The extent of positive emotion elicited by leisure is most likely to vary across different activities. So further investigations considering types of activities are necessary (see the limitations below).

Regarding the mediator between depression and leisure, something other than resilience might have been involved. Keller et al. ( 2022 ) recently investigated the relationship between the distress caused by COVID‐19, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. They found that symptoms of anxiety and loneliness mediated the positive association between post‐COVID‐19 distress and depression. In the context of the present research, people who participate in many leisure activities are likely to have various social communities that reduce loneliness. The lower level of loneliness before the pandemic may predict the lower level of depression before and during the pandemic. Therefore, loneliness may mediate the relationship between leisure and depression.

Strengths, limitations, and future scope

This study had three unique points. First, it was a longitudinal study that compared the participants' status before and after the spread of COVID‐19. This is significant because most studies examining COVID‐related behavioral changes do not have actual data representing the “before” status (a common procedure is to ask participants to recall the past). The first survey of the present study was conducted before the outbreak. Second, the current research emphasized the adaptable side of human nature rather than finding a simple increase in mental health problems due to the pandemic, as in most published studies on this topic. People utilized resilience and sought new leisure activities to combat the pandemic's negative influence. Finally, a large set of leisure activities were presented to the participants. Using the large number of choices, which were carefully selected based on previous research, was essential to grasp an accurate picture of the participants' situations while avoiding time‐consuming data analysis often associated with a free‐response method. Important to note that the list included culturally specific activities (e.g. Japanese dancing), and the inclusion of such activities is important when a similar study is conducted elsewhere.

The limitations of this study are as follows. First, it did not measure the actual amount of leisure time people lost (or gained) due to the pandemic. The reported reduction in the number of committed activities does not necessarily imply a decreased time spent on leisure activities. Furthermore, the results did not identify whether the decline in activities was a consequence of external factors (such as the cancelation of events) or the voluntary restrictions of participants. Varying consequences may impact mental health differently.

Second, this study did not consider the types of activities (e.g. physical or non‐physical). The psychological impact should vary across activities; for example, physical activities have superior effects on depressive symptoms (Paluska & Schwenk,  2000 ). Karp et al. ( 2006 ) claim that all leisure activities contain three components: mental, physical, and social, and the interactions of these components affect multiple cognitive domains. Therefore, it is important to focus on the functions of each type of activity and examine the combined effect of participating in a variety of activities.

Third, the scale used to measure depressive symptoms was insufficient. The PHQ‐2 is a screening instrument designed to reduce the burden on participants and contains only two items. Recent mental health studies targeting Japanese people using the PHQ‐9 (Ueda et al.,  2020 ) and the Generic Depression Score (Fujita et al.,  2021 ) have shown increased levels of depression due to the pandemic. Therefore, the absence of an increase in this study may be related to the insufficient measuring power of the PHQ‐2. Although it is well validated, it would be preferable to use a scale with a broader distribution of scores for more precise measurements. In addition, the direct relationship between leisure activities and resilience was not fully established. The results showed a significant correlation between the number of leisure activities and the level of resilience, but causal relationships between the two variables need to be empirically tested. Other psychological variables such as level of anxiety may need to be measured and controlled to do so.

Finally, the present findings may have limited generalizability due to the sample characteristics. Although the sample size of the second survey was sufficient for the analyses, the dropout rate from the first survey was very high. Thus, the remaining participants may not represent the general population of Japan. For example, people who were severely affected by the pandemic may not have responded to the second survey. There is also a possibility that the older people in the present study were particularly adaptable. A study with a larger sample is necessary to confirm the current findings, and a method other than online surveys may be essential to recruit varieties of older adults. Repeating the study in different countries must also be beneficial to reveal the influence of national prevention measures and culture.

In conclusion, this study found that engaging in a larger number of leisure activities reduces depressive symptoms through resilience. Engaging in a variety of leisure activities can be a very effective and entertaining process of resilience building (Caldwell,  2005 ), and such resilience can work to protect people from stress even in an appalling disaster such as the COVID‐19 pandemic (Kimhi et al.,  2020 ).

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest with this work.

ETHICS STATEMENT

The study met the ethical guidelines of Kanazawa University.

Supporting information

Table S1.1. The demographic characteristics of samples at 1st and 2nd survey.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI through a Grant‐in‐Aid for Scientific Research (B) Number 19H01761 and Grant‐in‐Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) Number 20H05803 and 2020 Collaborative Research Support Program of Kanazawa University.

Takiguchi, Y. , Matsui, M. , Kikutani, M. , & Ebina, K. (2022). The relationship between leisure activities and mental health: The impact of resilience and COVID‐19 . Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being , 1–19. 10.1111/aphw.12394 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ]

1 The current sample size of the young group was slightly smaller than 77. Therefore, we calculated the post hoc statistical power for the regression analysis and confirmed that it was sufficient (see Hoenig & Heisey,  2001 for the importance of the post hoc power approach).

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

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Leisure Time: The Types of Activities Essay

Introduction, leisure time freedom, discipline during leisure time, extreme leisure activities.

Leisure time refers to the time in one’s life when one is free from the demands of his/her duties or studies. During this time, one is free to spend his/her time as he wills or as he deems right. Many people opt to spend this time having fun in different ways as a way of relieving the physical and mental stress accumulated during working hours. To some, this is an opportunity to visit friends and family. Whatever activity one chooses depends on one’s interest and the idea of having fun (Bull, et al., 2003).

Leisure time may however be confused for freedom to do anything during one’s free time. There are limits to which one can exercise during his free time. For instance, when one’s way of spending leisure interferes with someone else’s freedom, then there is definitely a limit.

The freedom that people have during their leisure time may be controlled in some cases depending on the level of engagement. Although leisure time refers to free time that one can spend in whatever way he/she wills, some form of control usually exists. For instance, teenagers’ leisure time has some form of control that comes in different ways. There are reasons why some people tend to have an inclination towards extreme sports. This paper covers these issues in detail and gives examples in relevant sections.

Freedom during leisure time refers to the ability to undertake any event for whatever length of time without any form of restrictions. This form of leisure time does not usually exist since there is always some form of control during leisure time. Though leisure time looks like a time when one can do what he/she wills for whatever length of time, this does not in practice exist. Some form of control usually exists for different individuals depending on age, cultural inclination, and length of time available (Harris, 2005).

Teenagers’ leisure times are always controlled lest they engage in destructive activities. Rules are set by parents in the type of activities they may engage and those that they may not engage in lest they get grounded. Teenagers are controlled from engaging in activities such as some very extreme sports, joining peer groups that are destructive and engaging in drugs and alcoholism. Parents on the other hand are limited by other activities which curtail the length of time they engage in leisure activities. For example, it is not possible for a couple to go fishing the whole day leaving their young children unattended.

There is always a compulsion to get back home and take care of the kids among other chores. Leisure time may be one’s free time but it is always controlled by other activities in terms of extent and time that it may continue (Bull, et al., 2003).

It is very important to have some form of control during leisure time. This applies to both the young and the old since discipline makes leisure time more enjoyable in the long run. Discipline ensures consistency during leisure activities while helping an individual maintain a healthy physique. Lack of discipline or some form of control can only lead to destructive engagement which may not be productive in the long run. Parents use some form of restrictive discipline on their children by setting limits that the children may extend as they enjoy their leisure time. On the other hand, parents exercise discipline and control during their free time to ensure that they set a good example for their children.

Discipline helps in controlling freedom as earlier discussed. Without discipline, people would tend to misuse the freedom they have during their free time. For example, lack of discipline when engaging in some extreme sports such as skateboarding may be very lethal and it is important for one to learn the rules of engaging in such sports (Harris, 2005).

Extreme sports are considered to be more lethal compared to other forms of spending leisure. There are many extreme sports today and it is advisable for one to be very careful when engaging in any of them. Enough practice is very necessary before engaging in any extreme sport. Usually, extreme sports that some people engage in, involve the public exhibitions of dangerous stunts as a way of spending leisure. For instance, skateboarding and mountain biking are two extreme sports that people engage in to get thrilled and for excitement.

People engage in extreme sports for different reasons during leisure time. The biggest contributor towards engaging in this type of extreme sports especially among teenagers is the influence of television and video games. Teenagers would always wish to practice what they watch. Others engage in this type of sport simply because they believe that it is the best way of relieving stress. When a person engages in extreme sports, more adrenaline is released which presents one of the best ways of getting rid of stress (Tamara, 2010). People, therefore, tend to engage in some extreme sports which they believe are more relaxing than ordinary leisure activities such as reading or watching.

Leisure time is very important to any individual. This is a time when a person is able to relieve him/herself of day stress accumulated during work or studies. People are always allowed to spend their leisure time in whatever way they want so long as they do not break the set ground rules which in a way curtail the freedom that some people may want to enjoy. It is important to have some form of control or discipline during leisure time. This applies especially when engaging in extreme sports which some people engage in for excitement and thrill.

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Youth Well-Being and Leisure Time: An International Perspective

• First Online: 07 April 2018

Cite this chapter

• Anju Beniwal 6  

Part of the book series: Leisure Studies in a Global Era ((LSGE))

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It is rightly said that while children are the future of the country, youth are its present. The energy, enthusiasm, dynamism, innovative ideas and creative thinking they possess make the youth population an important asset for any country’s accelerated development. With regard to youth resources, India has a distinct edge over the developed nations, most of which will be facing the burden of a fast-ageing population in the coming decades; India is experiencing a youth bulge. Around the world, young people are proving that leisure represents a prime opportunity not only for individual development but also for contribution and change. How young people spend their leisure time is also linked to pressing threats to their well-being and to issues of globalization and interdependence. Given these interconnections, it is critical leisure be discussed as a context for the development of young people and their participation in the development of community and society. The purpose of this chapter is to examine empirical evidence and describe theoretical perspectives that address under what conditions and how leisure acts are essential for youth opportunities and well-being.

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Beniwal, A. (2018). Youth Well-Being and Leisure Time: An International Perspective. In: Beniwal, A., Jain, R., Spracklen, K. (eds) Global Leisure and the Struggle for a Better World. Leisure Studies in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70975-8_5

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Ielts essay # 1288 - many people work long hours, leaving little time for leisure, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, many people work long hours, leaving very little time for leisure activities., does this situation have more advantages or more disadvantages.

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The Importance of Leisure in Modern Society

Leisure is described as time spent away from one’s daily schedule. People participate in things they enjoy during their leisure time as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others. Leisure has existed since the dawn of time. Wrestling, horseback riding, cockfighting, bullfighting, and a variety of other sports were available to the public. After finishing their day’s work, people often participate in these activities. The enjoyment they derived from their chosen pastime enabled them to unwind after a long day at work. As civilization was welcomed, new forms of entertainment emerged. As civilization was welcomed, new forms of entertainment emerged. Relaxation evolved to meet the changing needs of man, behaviors, and space (Moore et al., 2016). The industrialization era to date has significantly affected the types of leisure, which leads to the question: Given all our distractions, technology and our sense of global connectedness, is leisure still necessary in modern society? In an attempt to answer the question, this paper will take a twofold direction: showing how technology and leisure are intertwined and relevance of leisure in people’s daily lives and future. Technology and Leisure In the modern days, leisure cannot be separated from technology. For instance, in mobility, the latter has positively affected the former. The invention of advanced and faster transport systems has enabled people to travel faster and globally to spend their free time well. An example of leisure activities like sightseeing, hiking, mountaineering, or merely going to experience new places has been made possible by the quick and faster modes of transport, like trains, ships, aircrafts, and vehicles. People can now travel further in the world to have a variety of experiences in their preferred leisure activities (Alméras, Vallières, Tremblay, Poirier, & Després, 2016). For instance, mountain climbers have the chance to compare their encounters in climbing from the Alps, the Everest, and the Kilimanjaro. Diversity in leisure may spice up its type, hence leading to more relaxation and happiness to the person. Additionally, the invention of automobiles resulted in new types of leisure activities. They include bike riding, car racing, skydiving from planes, skating, and skiing. Such events were not there before the automobiles were invented. It is now possible for people to ride bikes and motorbikes as a form of leisure, while others prefer racing in cars. They are made in such a way that they can withstand maximum speed and all types of roads. For skydiving, planes have come in handy to facilitate the activity. Skating, skiing, and even surfing on water bodies are also types of leisure made possible by the invention of automobiles, and they provide an excellent source of fun and relaxation to the people who love them (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). Passive types of leisure have as well been made easy and more interesting by technology. Good examples are the intellectual games like chess and playing cards. Advanced technology has incorporated such games into their systems, for instance, mobile phone and computers. The advancement has made it easier for those who love such activities to play and enjoy. Other video games like the play stations have been invented allowing people to relax and enjoy in the comfort of their homes. They have the advantage of sharpening the wittiness of the participants and giving them satisfaction and happiness once they win one level and move to a more challenging level (Alméras et al., 2016). Computers’ and mobile phones’ games also have the advantage of improving the concentration span of the participants, hence helping them concentrate more on their routine work or school. On the other hand, these types of leisure have the disadvantage of making the participant antisocial. Other common types of passive leisure include watching movies, watching plays (dramas), and listening to music. All these activities have been made possible and more available by the ever advancing technology. Initially, people would listen to other people singing as a form of leisure. In the modern world, music is accompanied by modern instruments that make it more appealing to the ears and soothing to the heart. It is then recorded and made available in radio stations, compact discs, and online streaming services. When it comes to the lovers of theatrical plays, theatres and stages have been modernized to replicate the modern world. The lighting system, backdrops, and soundtracks have been adopted to bring out emotions in a play, hence capturing the audience. As for the visual types of leisure like movies, computers have been fit in with DVD players that allow videos to play. Televisions also show movies and other programs that make people relax and laugh. Cinemas have experienced significant technological advancement that enables them to showcase 3D films which make the films more real and interesting to the viewers (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). Leisure activities in sports have also been affected positively by the progressing technology. For example, in water sports, like deep sea diving and swimming, it has played a big part in making them more possible and enjoyable. For deep sea diving, the divers are now provided with gas masks, flippers, and torches to allow them to stay underwater for a long time and appreciate the aquatic life as a way of enjoying their leisure time. Waterproof cameras also enable to take photographs of the underwater life (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). For swimming, whereas the initial areas were rivers and ponds, technology has paved the way for the construction of swimming pools that allow people to have fun safely. Lighting and water heating systems have been incorporated in the pools to permit swimming at night and in cold seasons. Terrestrial sports have also improved due to technology. For instance, in the American football, which is a rough game, the players have been provided with safety gadgets to prevent severe injuries during the game. The industries which make the different types of balls also play a part in making the right-textured balls for various games. When it comes to soccer, they have a specific kind of shoes to prevent sliding and to fall carelessly in the field. Rugby as a sport also has special uniforms to avoid injuries. Athletics also has a sports gear that allows flexibility and circulation of fresh air to the athletes. All games are mostly in the form of competitions; therefore, technology is used to record the performances and the scores (Moore et al., 2016). Evidently, technology is a big part of the modern leisure activities, and the two cannot be separated. Relevance of Leisure in Daily Life and the Future Human beings cannot live without leisure, even with the presence of all the distractions facilitated by advancing technology and globalization. Life without entertainment would be boring and too monotonous. Consequently, there would be no activities to rejuvenate their energy and morale, resulting in low productivity even in work. Leisure, therefore, has the role of ensuring that the society has physically fit mentally stable, relaxed, happy, and motivated individuals Yardly et al., 2002). Active leisure activities are highly advised by doctors, as they have better results in rejuvenating the individual, while at the same time, improving their health status. Unlike active, passive leisure activities might result into dull, unsociable, and physically lazy individuals. One of the significant benefits of leisure is the growth of children. The metabolic activities in a child’s body happen at a high rate. They have to consequently release the energy produced by being active. Engaging children in active leisure activities like sports allow their limbs to exercise, hence growing stronger. Such events also give a chance to make friends, thus improving kids’ social skills. Some leisure activities give children life lessons, for instance, team work. Soccer and dancing, time management, critical thinking, as in the game of chess, and other survival skills acquired from swimming, hiking, and camping help in improving the health of children (Moore et al., 2016). Secondly, leisure contributes to strengthening of family bonds, hence bringing up stable individuals to society in future. In the modern world, every member of the family is busy and away from each other. Both parents have to work, sometimes taking two or three jobs in a day to meet the ends. Children find themselves under the care of babysitters, and once they are of age, they join the school system, which takes up the better part of their lives. After school, the children, who are then young adults, find jobs and might start their own family who will take on the same route of life. Tentatively, there will be family members who do not know each other, resulting into a society without trust and confidence. Leisure time comes in to rescue such a situation by allowing family create free time to bond and appreciate each other (Yardly et al., 2002). Parents can encourage strengths of their children, who then learn from parents’ skills. Thirdly, with the tight working schedule of the modern life, leisure is very necessary for relaxation and eliminating tension and stress from the workplace and at home. At home, parents sacrifice time to create bonding moments with their children and making follow-ups with the latter’s school work. They also have to cook and ensure everything runs smoothly in the family. At times, they have to finish up a job assignment before going to bed. The next morning, they have to prepare their children for school and then head to work, where they meet with the pressures of deadlines of achieving goals. Such a tight schedule works people up, leading to exhaustion, tension, and stress. In such circumstances, leisure comes in handy – people are able to do something different, hence finding a source of relaxation (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). Relaxation also leads to the elimination of tension and stress, which can, in turn, improve productivity in workplace, because the rejuvenated individuals return to work with new energy. Fourthly, leisure time provides an opportunity to build up strong friendship ties and solidarity that may be important in helping each other in times of need. Human beings are social creatures, and there it is necessary to have people one can rely on in the low times. With the modern day stiff schedule, individuals tend to lack time to know their neighbors and friends. It is necessary in life to allocate a chance during free time in order to know and appreciate each other. As such, strengths and talents of friends and neighbors are showcased; hence, a strong relationship of friendship is upheld, resulting in confidence and security in home areas (Alméras et al., 2016). The fifth importance of leisure is in the health of individuals. Active leisure activities like sports allow blood circulation in all parts of the body, thus reducing risks of heart illnesses. Moreover, passive leisure attributed to technology, like watching movies, computer games, and listening to music can be a risk to one’s health. If a person just eats and sits to watch, play, or listen, they are more prone to obesity compared to those who eat and actively burn calories in sports and dancing (Moore et al., 2016). With the proper circulation of blood to the brain due to active leisure, people end up being more mentally stable and with less fatigue. Such individuals also remain alert when they return to their normal routine; hence, they are more productive. Some leisure activities have been used by psychologists to help people in anger management, for instance, sports like boxing and wrestling. Instead of breaking into a fight with someone, psychologists encourage people to join boxing clubs and wrestling to reduce their adrenaline. Such sports, however, have rules and regulations that the members ought to follow and acquire certain qualities (Moore et al., 2016). As a result, a youngster who kept on breaking into fights ends up as a responsible individual who can control his negative emotions and channel them into the right place. Leisure will be quite essential in future, because the elderly require leisure time more than the younger generation. The former are prone to illnesses, especially of the heart and bones (Yardly et al., 2002). Therefore, with less vigorous but constant activities, they can maintain a healthy living even in old age. Illnesses like hypertension, obesity, or mental instability can easily take down the aged generation. Therefore, recreational activities have been put up to ensure that they exercise frequently in order to keep their hearts working, allow smooth circulation of blood and relaxation to remove depression. At such an age, people also tend to suffer from emotional stress silently. For instance, the loss of a loved one may affect them more than it would impact a younger person (Yardly et al., 2002). Therefore, leisure activities help the elderly to let go of their pain and move on peacefully. Due to the busy routine of life, the elderly find themselves lonely, since their children are working, and their grandchildren are in school. They, therefore, sulk and suffer from self-rejection. They end up detaching from the world and have mental instability. However, the presence of recreational centers allows elderly persons being involved in such activities and find new friends who they can relate with in the daily lives. They can meet people who are going through the same situation and accept some things in life. They practice their social skills and become complete beings (Alméras et al., 2016). As a result, they end up avoiding depressions and loneliness, and they get to live longer, more gratified and happier. Leisure evokes creativity in human beings and will help in job opportunities’ creation in future. Some people have seen the importance of leisure activities and have taken it as their responsibility to make them available. There are recreational centers with activities for individuals from all ages. For instance, bouncing castles, slides, and merry-go-rounds for children allow them to exercise their bodies while still having fun. Swimming pools are also available, whereby those without swimming pools at home can pay and have fun (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). Sports clubs and movements like scouts and girl guides have been included in the schools’ extra-curricular activities, which allow children to join and have fun while exercising. Other leisure activities have been turned into professions, like photography, singing, dancing, reading, and artifact collection. The media industry requires talents to capture real and clear photographs of incidences. The music industry has also attracted many talented individuals who earn a bounty by doing what they love. Professional dancers are hired for a lot of money to perform. Libraries have been put up due to lovers of reading, while museums hold a great collection of artifacts brought by those who took time to collect them as their leisure activity (Yardly et al., 2002). In future, these activities are likely to lead to more revenue for people engaging in them. All countries appreciate leisure time and activities by setting aside funds for the tourism industry. Tourists’ attractions have been preserved in all the states to allow those who love traveling, sightseeing, hiking, and mountaineering enjoy their leisure. Big sporting events like the Olympics have been enhanced by the global connectedness, such that all the nations are given a chance to participate and represent their country and talent. As suggested by Moore et al. (2016), such activities lead to the development of countries and increase global unity. As a result, people use their leisure time and activities to promote unity and reduce discrimination. The trend is likely to go on in the immediate and distant future. Whereas there are many advantages associated with leisure time and activities, there are, however, some disadvantages that may arise and affect human being adversely. First, passive leisure like watching movies and playing computer games kills social skills of children, bringing up loners. Society full of loners is unsafe, as people are not open to each other. There would be neither confidence nor trust among them (Alméras et al., 2016). It can be recommended that sociable leisure activities be encouraged to bring up a whole individual to society. Passive leisure can also lead to obesity, limbs illnesses, and heart diseases. When individuals just sit to watch, play, or listen, their bodies are not active, and they may develop complications in future. Children need to run around to strengthen their limbs and allow completing blood circulation to become stronger and more alert. People who just sit and watch end up being dull, and hence less productive even in their work or school. Active leisure is necessary to everyday life for a cheerful and more productive society (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). Another disadvantage of leisure is secretly developing bad characters in individuals. Owing to the advancement of technology, work has been made easier; hence, there is more free time for people to engage in other activities some of which might be harmful. If not managed properly, it might be used to develop ill characters in the society. An example of one major problem is hacking. With computers, intelligent children are having a lot of time learning about the machines. Some of them end up being hackers, hence risking the privacy of members of the society. They are able to go through private information of individuals, firms, or even a country. Secondly, the excess free time allows young people to join gangs and end up being a threat to society (Moore et al., 2016). It is, therefore, recommended that despite the busy schedule of life, parents should keep an eye on the activities that their children are involved in. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that leisure is highly relevant in the modern world, because technology has made work easy, hence increasing free time. Leisure activities contribute to a wholesome person (Munafò & Pearce, 2016). With the modern world, it has become a venue to encourage sociable activities and discourage loneliness. Leisure has also been used by doctors to prevent illnesses like depression and stress. Additionally, even though recreation cannot be separated from technology, people should not abandon active leisure, as it has more advantages to the individuals and the society at large. Leisure activities have worked to build up national unity and strengthen global connectedness. The elderly, who are a significant part of the society use leisure time to avoid illnesses and depression. However, it is the duty of every individual in the community to use recreation time positively to build a confident society. If used wisely, leisure could make one earn, while still having fun and helping other people. The primary purpose of it is to develop a society with happy, relaxed, and productive individuals. Therefore, leisure is still quite relevant in the modern society despite the advancements in contemporary technology. References Alméras, N., Vallières, M., Tremblay, É., Poirier, P., & Després, J. (2016). Contributions of leisure-time vs. occupational physical activity to variation in cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic risk profile: Results from a workplace health management program. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 32(10), S241. Moore, S. C., Lee, I. M., Weiderpass, E., Campbell, P. T., Sampson, J. N., Kitahara, C. M., …, & Adami, H. O. (2016). Association of leisure-time physical activity with risk of 26 types of cancer in 1.44 million adults. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(6), 816-825. Munafò, S., & Pearce, M. (2016). Living environments and leisure mobility: Challenging the compact city. Mobile Lives Forum. Retrieved on October 31, 2017 http://en.forumviesmobiles.org/arguing/2016/11/28/living-environments-and-leisure-mobility-challenging-compact-city-3374 Yardly, L., & Smith, H. (2002). A prospective study of the relationship between feared consequences of falling and avoidance of activity in community – living older people. Gerontologist, 42(1), 17-23.

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