Leisure’s Relationships with Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being in Daily Life: An Experience Sampling Approach

Research on leisure and subjective well-being has focused on hedonic well-being (e.g., positive affect). Leisure’s relationships with eudaimonic well-being (e.g., meaning) remains underexplored. The literature also lacks non-Western perspectives. This study examined leisure’s relations with shiawase and ikigai, Japanese concepts that represent hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, respectively. A smartphone-based experience sampling method was used. A total of 2,207 responses were collected from 83 Japanese university students. Multilevel linear modeling showed that free time (e.g., lunch, evenings) predicted higher levels of daily shiawase and ikigai, while ikigai appeared to stay higher during afternoon. Various leisure activities positively predicted shiawase and ikigai levels, with event/trip, eating/drinking, socializing, and hobbies being the best predictors. A few activities (e.g., exercise) differentially predicted the outcomes. Among subjective experiences common during leisure, intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, stimulation, and comfort were positively correlated to shiawase and ikigai, whereas effort predicted only ikigai.