Leisure and Subjective Well-Being

The main objective of this study was the investigation of the moderating effect of the Big-Five personality traits on the relationship between leisure and subjective well-being. Life satisfaction was used to proxy subjective well-being. The findings on the effect of leisure on subjective well-being are consistent with previous research: (1) leisure engagement has a positive effect on life satisfaction; (2) regarding the leisure activities: watching TV, reading, holidays, sports and going out have positive effects on life satisfaction. Holidays have the greatest (positive) effect on life satisfaction; (3) certain personality traits benefit more from leisure activities than others: a high score on conscientiousness indicates less benefits from watching TV, reading, holidays, sports and outdoor activities; a high score on agreeableness indicates even less benefits from Internet and more from sports; high score on openness to experience indicates less benefits from reading, using Internet and outdoor activities; a high score in neuroticism indicates benefits from engaging in sports, holidays and from outdoor activities.