The Dual Effects of Passion on Leisure Wellbeing: Toward a Theory of Engagement in Diverse Leisure Activities

We report on a study that examines the effects of type of leisure passion (harmonious vs. obsessive passion) on leisure engagement diversity, which in turn contributes to leisure wellbeing. This study also tests whether the relationship between engagement diversity and leisure wellbeing is moderated by participants’ age. Our study involved a survey of leisure sport participants in Korea (n = 501), and the results indicate that harmonious passion increases diversity in leisure engagement, which enhances wellbeing, especially for the young. This study also demonstrated that obsessive passion decreases diversity in leisure engagement which, in turn, decreases leisure wellbeing, especially for the young. Decreased diversity did not have a significant negative impact on leisure wellbeing for the old. The study findings also indicate that satisfaction in other life domains (family, job, and health) spills over unto leisure life to influence leisure wellbeing, as predicted. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.