Importance of Leisure and Recreation

Leisure is defined as the time that a person can choose to do whatever they want to do
as long as the chosen activity of task is not part of their official duties (Caldwell, n.a). Some
of the activities that are associated with leisure time include sight-seeing, traveling,
recreation, and socializing with family and friends. The activities can be structured or
unstructured. There are numerous benefits that individuals get from participating in such
activities. The benefits of leisure are the positive experiences and effects that individuals or
groups get from participating in leisure activities (Caldwell, n.a). The benefits are largely
subjective as they differ from one person to another. Regardless of the specific benefit that
one gets from engaging in leisure, I believe that it is not just individuals that benefit from
leisure but their communities as well.

At an individual level, the benefits of leisure and recreation are largely physical and
psychological (Stebbins, 2018). Physical benefits include increase in one’s physical energy,
maintenance of preferred physical appearance, increase in ability to perform certain activities,
and reduction in fatigue. Psychological benefits include improvement in creativity, reduction
in stress and pressures of life, and increase in happiness (Iwasaki, Messina & Hopper, 2018).
It is because of these benefits that Kuykendall, Boemerman & Zhu (2018) concluded that
leisure and recreation are key to the improvement of a person’s well-being. I have personally
experienced some of these benefits. For instance, any time I am stressed up, jogging or
running makes me feel better. In general, leisure activities improve the well-being of a
person. The benefits of leisure are not just physical and psychological, they are also social.
Social benefits of leisure include making new friends and strengthening bonds of existing
ones.

3
Leisure and recreation have also been found to safety, success, and cohesion of
communities. This is largely due to the key role that leisure and recreation plays in
developing adolescents into responsible and successful adults. Adolescence is the stage
between puberty and adulthood (Caldwell, n.a). It is a critical stage in the development of a
person and plays an important role in a person’s outcome. Some of the development tasks or
events that take place during adolescence include self-identification, civic engagement,
development of social relationships, goal setting and achievement, development of moral
compass, and development of autonomy (Caldwell, n.a). Adolescents who perform these
tasks excellently are likely to become responsible, independent, successful, and dependable
adults who are also civic-engaged. Therefore, they become beneficial to themselves, their
families, and the community at large.

Since adolescents have a lot of leisure time, most of their development through the
tasks described above occurs through participation in leisure activities (Hopper & Iwasaki
(2017). Leisure activities, such as engagement in sporting activities, religious activities, and
civic engagements have been found to contribute to positive youth development. Such
activities help the adolescents to develop deep relationships, positive behavioral attributes,
conflict resolution skills, and become focused on activities that have long-term benefits for
them, such as studying.

Other activities, such hanging out, and activities that are associated with sedentary
lifestyle like watching television for hours on end are associated with negative youth
development (Caldwell, n.a). For instance, hanging out is associated with early introduction
to alcohol consumption and misuse of drugs while activities that promote sedentary lifestyle
are associated with poor physical health that contributes to conditions, such as obesity. Not
engaging in any leisure activities during adolescence has also been associated with poor

4
outcomes as the youth is denied the opportunity to develop in various spheres in life.
Adolescents who engage in negative leisure activities, such as binge drinking with friends or
use of hard drugs become a burden not only to themselves but also to their communities as
they may start engaging in criminal activities or take too long to become independent and
successful adults.

Leisure and recreation are, therefore, important to both individuals and communities.
They help to improve the well-being of individuals and create strong, peaceful, and
successful communities. Given the important role that leisure and recreation play in
improvement of the well-being of individuals and communities, there is need to encourage
participation in leisure activities.

5

References

Caldwell, L. (n.a). Youth and Lesiure. The Pennsylvania State University.

Hopper, T. D., & Iwasaki, Y. (2017). Engagement of ‘at-risk’youth through meaningful
leisure. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 35(1).

Iwasaki, Y., Messina, E. S., & Hopper, T. (2018). The role of leisure in meaning-making and
engagement with life. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(1), 29-35.

Kuykendall, L., Boemerman, L., & Zhu, Z. (2018). The importance of leisure for subjective
well-being. Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers.

Schmalz, D. L., & Pury, C. L. (2018). Leisure and positive psychology: Complementary
science for health and well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(1), 1-3.

Stebbins, R. A. (2018). Leisure and the positive psychological states. The Journal of Positive
Psychology, 13(1), 8-17.