This book extends positive psychology by embedding leisure into the positive science field, following a new paradigm and aggregating various domains and fields. Positive science can be applied to the field of leisure and, in turn, leisure can serve as an arena to study some of the most important optimal functioning variables. The book presents knowledge on a diverse range of topics about optimizing socio-cognitive processes and behaviors, places and contexts, societies and cultures through leisure. These topics are unified by an underlying continuum that extends from individuals and subjective experiences to social worlds. The contributions highlight components of everyday life, showing that subjective experience and life trajectories are structured and social goals and life purposes are defined and achieved within interactions between individuals and their lived contexts and environments in daily life. .

This book explores, from a leisure studies perspective, the central role that leisure has to play in positive psychology, exploring themes such as flow, fulfilment, altruism, well-being, and interpersonal relationships.

This edited collection explores Positive Sociology of Leisure (PSL) as a subfield relating to leisure studies, sociology of leisure, and sociology of happiness. Defined as an area of research that examines social aspects of leisure life with a focus on the optimal functioning of relationship, group, community, organization, and other social units, PSL differs from more critical forms of sociology in that its starting point is social positives. The contributions draw on a range of diverse disciplinary backgrounds to consider various meanings of leisure across themes such as: ageing; sex, sexuality and family; community, youth, and education; and arts and creativity. Positive Sociology of Leisure will be a key reference within the field of sociology of leisure, as well as an important introductory book for those interested in leisure studies.

This book responds to the need to investigate the complex links between sex and leisure and their implications for research and practice. Understanding sex as leisure aligns with sex-positive culture that focuses on affirming pleasure in the contemporary sexual discourse and advocating for sexual diversity, freedom, empowerment, and fulfilling sex lives. The focus of this book is on analyzing the complexity of sex as leisure in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts, with particular reference to vulnerable populations and pressing sexual issues, including sexual pleasure and expression, biomedicalization of sexuality, and social justice and sexuality. Specific chapters offer diverse international coverage and address the links between a positive sexuality framework and leisure research. The chapters cover sexual play and sex toys based on consumer experience perspectives; using the leisure lens to analyze sex and pornography addiction; quadriplegic sexuality and leisure; rejection and resilience on a gay cruise; relational dynamics of aging, exploitation, and deceit in sex tourism; sexual harassment of solo female travelers; and the complexity of consent in the sexualized leisure space of a pornography expo. This book will be of great value to those interested in transdisciplinary scholarship as it critically broadens the bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective of sex as leisure. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal, Leisure Sciences.

There have been a number of social, political and economic shifts that have played a major role in constraining, enriching, mediating and altering everyday family interactions and family practices. These include globalization, economic instability, neoliberal government paradigms, a culture of consumerism, technological advancements, shifting demographics and changing parenting ideologies. This book considers what advancements have been made in family leisure research over the past two decades within the context of a rapidly shifting society and examines potential new directions for scholarship. The book begins with an emphasis on the need for scholarship that explores diverse constructions of family and provides a call to action for family-centered scholars to engage with broader social issues. A collection of authors argue the importance of expanding the understanding of family to include older adults, highlight the missing perspectives of recreation and leisure agencies in family scholarship, and examine the ways in which information communication technology may alter family leisure. Authors also consider the dominance of particular theoretical perspectives, and the limitations and consequences of such perspectives, to understand the complexity, diversity and richness of the lived family experience. The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of Leisure Sciences and an invited commentary in the Annals of Leisure Research.

This text reviews and synthesizes the theories, research, and empirical evidence between human flourishing and the humanities broadly, including history, literary studies, philosophy, religious studies, music, art, theatre, and film. Via multidisciplinary essays, this book expands our understanding of how the humanities contribute to the theory and science of well-being by considering historical trends, conceptual ideas, and wide-ranging interdisciplinary drivers between positive psychology and the arts.

What is leisure? How does leisure relate to leading a good life? This critical and intelligent study interrogates the basic principles of leisure and demonstrates the continuing relevance of these questions for our society today. It not only explores the traditional philosophical concepts at the heart of leisure studies, but also pursues new possibilities for reconceptualising leisure that have emerged from recent developments in society, technology and the broader discipline of philosophy itself. Approaching leisure from a philosophically inquisitive perspective, the book argues that leisure revolves around the pursuit of happiness, human flourishing and well-being, making it both a state of mind and a state of being. Its exploration of the meaning of leisure addresses key issues such as identity, ethics, spirituality, human experience, freedom, technology, embodiment, well-being, the fundamental properties of leisure and the challenge of offering a meaningful definition. Revitalising the subject of leisure studies with its originality, Philosophy of Leisure: Foundations of the Good Life is fascinating reading for all students and scholars of leisure studies, philosophy, sociology, psychology and ethics.

This edited collection highlights the diversity and reach of global leisure studies and global leisure theory. It explores the impact of globalization on leisure, and the sites of resistance and accommodation found in local, virtual and global leisure spaces. Unlike any other collection on leisure studies, Global Leisure and the Struggle for a Better World is truly representative of the diversity of the large and growing leisure scholarship across the globe. It demonstrates how researchers in leisure studies and sociology of leisure are applying complex theory to their work, and how a new theory of global leisure is emerging.

Dimensions of Leisure for Life, Second Edition With HKPropel Access, guides students through a study of leisure from both individual and societal perspectives. The editors and contributors, all key experts in the field, use social science methods and current research to study the multidisciplinary field of leisure and its practical applications. Relevant career opportunities within the broad scope of the leisure services delivery system are also presented. The text emphasizes inclusivity and prepares students and professionals to incorporate inclusive practices into their work. Part I of Dimensions of Leisure for Life, Second Edition, examines the broad dimensions of leisure and its related industries. It looks at leisure as a social science and analyzes its societal value. Part II discusses how individual dimensions of leisure affect a person’s quality of life, physical and mental health, and level of physical activity. Part III details how recreation history informs contemporary leisure studies. It uncovers the intersection of leisure and society, family life, technology, natural resources, economics, and public policy. Part IV presents the study of leisure from a consumer perspective. Awareness of local options as well as age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status; geographic distribution of leisure spaces; and stage of development all affect an individual’s participation in and level of involvement in leisure activities. Throughout the text, students will consider the role that recreation and leisure play in their own lives. They are encouraged to seek out the resources that are available to them, learn to recognize and challenge the obstacles to participation, and commit to a leisure plan that will enhance personal growth. The book’s full-color design contains photographs and illustrations that enhance student engagement. Learning outcomes and review questions in each chapter help students set learning goals and retain key information. Vocabulary terms allow students to identify important content. Dimensions of Leisure for Life, Second Edition, has been updated with current research and applications within the field. The second edition features the following enhancements to help students connect theoretical concepts to practical applications they can use in their future careers: On the Job sidebars in each chapter help students better understand common issues in the recreation and leisure workforce. Self-Exploration sidebars throughout the chapters provide opportunities for students to reflect on the role of leisure in their lives. A new chapter on leisure and family life discusses the impact of leisure on family structures and how to create valuable leisure experiences for all family members. The chapter on technology has been updated to reflect the digital advancements in leisure and their effect on individual equality and privacy. New interactive activities delivered online through HKPropel include chapter overviews, research assignments, key term flash cards, and chapter quizzes that can be automatically graded to assess student comprehension. Dimensions of Leisure for Life, Second Edition, addresses the ways that leisure affects individual lives and even our larger society. The more we understand the dimensions of leisure that contribute to quality of life for us and those in our communities, the more likely we are to appreciate them. Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is not included with this ebook but may be purchased separately.

Tourism affects millions of individuals, numerous societies and environments in multiple, nuanced and overlapping ways. While it can be viewed as a frivolous leisure pursuit or simply a large industry, with potentially destructive impacts, it might also be understood in terms of its effects on human fulfilment, the good life and greater well-being. This book calls for positive tourism, principally grounded in theories from positive psychology (the study of what makes life worth living), and the development of a body of knowledge that explains what characterises optimal tourist experiences, what enables host communities to flourish and what encourages workers in tourism to thrive. Through original research studies reported in this international volume we aim to further develop this knowledge. The intersections between ongoing and traditionally inspired applications of psychology in tourism and this new thrust in psychological inquiry promise to refresh and challenge tourism research. This book will appeal to researchers and academics in tourism, leisure, positive psychology, management and related fields as well as graduate students, professionals and policy makers.