Correlation between Leisure Activity Time and Life Satisfaction: Based on KOSTAT Time Use Survey Data.
Yu-Jin Cha
PMID 30158843WHAT IT FOUND
More daily leisure time was linked to higher life satisfaction in older South Korean adults.
Outdoor activities were linked to higher satisfaction; indoor activities were linked to lower satisfaction.
Key findings
01Total time used for leisure showed a positive correlation with life satisfaction.
02People with very high life satisfaction averaged 325.24 minutes of daily leisure, while people with very low life satisfaction averaged 291.28 minutes.
03Outdoor leisure time was positively correlated with life satisfaction, but indoor leisure time showed an inverse correlation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study analysed survey data at one time point, so it cannot show that changing leisure time changes life satisfaction. It counted only main activities from the diary, so activities done at the same time as another activity were not included. The occupation domains were based on a US framework, which may not match South Korean older adults' daily life. The analysis grouped people mainly by age and did not fully account for individual characteristics or socioeconomic position. The sample was limited to older adults in South Korea, and the paper describes them as healthy, so results may not apply to people with major health problems.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing leisure time will improve life satisfaction. This paper reports associations from survey data, and indoor leisure was linked to lower satisfaction.