The third, thoroughly revised and enhanced edition of this bestselling book analyses and discusses the most up-to-date research on the psychology of quality of life. The book is divided into six parts. The introductory part lays the philosophical and academic foundation of much of the research on wellbeing and positive mental health, showing the beneficial effects of happy people at work, health, and to society at large. Part 2 (effects of objective reality) describes how sociocultural factors, income factors, other demographic factors, and biological and health conditions affect wellbeing and positive mental health. Part 3 focuses on subjective reality and discusses how individuals process information from their objective environment, and how they manipulate this information that affects wellbeing and positive mental health. Part 4 focuses on the psychology of quality of life specific to life domains, while Part 5 reviews the research on special populations: children, women, the elderly, but also the disabled, drug addicts, prostitutes, emergency personnel, immigrants, teachers, and caregivers. The final part of the book focuses on theories and models of wellbeing and positive mental health that integrate and unify disparate concepts and programs of research. The book addresses the importance of the psychology of quality of life in the context of public policy and calls for a broadening of the approach in happiness research to incorporate other aspects of quality of life at the group, community, and societal levels. It is of topical interest to academics, students and researchers of quality of life, well-being research, happiness studies, psychotherapy, and social policy.

As our understanding of the bases of good health changes, it is apparent that leisure and its use are an important issue in both achieving and maintaining good health. This book reflects the story of how parks, recreation and leisure studies contribute to health and well-being of individuals, families, communities, and societies. This is also the story of how public health contributes to parks, recreation, and leisure studies; the intersections and connections between and among these fields, concepts, and professional practices. This book provides a collection of ideas brought together by scholars and practitioners willing to venture outside of the safe confines of their own disciplines to write transdisciplinary chapters with colleague from numerous fields related to health or leisure. These authors have played a significant role in building bridges and advancing the knowledge base related to leisure, health, and wellness, and their interconnections.

Wild animals form an integral component of the human leisure experience. They are a significant part of the leisure industry and are economically valuable entities. However, as sentient beings, animals also have rights and welfare needs, and, like humans, may also have their own leisure desires and requirements. This collection provides an in-depth analysis of the rights and welfare of humans and wild animals as the two relate to one another within the sphere of leisure studies. It examines a wide array of animals, such as wolves, elephants, dolphins and apes, in a diverse range of leisure settings in international locations, from captive wild animals in zoos, hunting, swimming with dolphins and animals used as educators and for tourist entertainment. This book provides a forum for future considerations of wild animals and leisure and a voice for animal welfarist agendas that seek to improve the conditions under which wild animals interact with and are engaged with by humans.

Although it is now well established that unemployment is detrimental to health and well being, most of us assume that a well structured, rewarding leisure activity would be preferable to paid work. John Haworth challenges these assumptions and shows that the very constriction of work, like having to perform a task we wouldn't otherwise choose, are often the most rewarding in the end. Work, Leisure and Well Being reviews the current literature and complements it with the findings of the most recent research to provide a serious and fascinating study of the most important areas of adult life. It raises as many questions as it answers; for instance, if paid work is better than a leisure activity, what's the use of looking forward to retirement? Work, Leisure and Well Being will be of interest not only to psychologists, but also to a wide range of professionals involved in social policy and the leisure industry.

This book explores health and leisure as a holistic phenomenon with individual and social dimensions. Contributors to this edited volume explore the physical, mental, emotional, sexual and social aspects of health and leisure as well as the influence of moral and religious principles. The connections between the individual and the social structure, social integration, the social division of labor, and the natural environment are also analysed. The volume studies this relationship from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, psychology, psychiatry, medical sciences, sport sciences, education, policy making, and from both national and international perspectives. As such, the collection will be of interest to scholars and students across a range of disciplines, including Leisure Studies, Health Studies, Health Promotion, Psychology and Mental Health, Sociology and Sport Studies.

The study of wellbeing is not new. Over two millennia ago, the Ancient Greeks were already debating different conceptions of the good life, and how it may be fostered, albeit a debate for the privileged in ancient Greek society. More recently, the post-WWII concern with economic scarcity gave way – as prosperity rose in the later 20th century – to values such as personal growth and social inclusion. In parallel, research has increasingly turned its focus to wellbeing, going beyond traditional measures of income, wealth and employment. Greater attention is now paid to the subjective experience of wellbeing which, it is broadly agreed, has many dimensions such as life satisfaction, optimal functioning and a good quality of life. Perspectives on Wellbeing: A Reader brings together a number of chapters that examine wellbeing from different disciplinary perspectives. A number of the chapters take the angle of human flourishing, looking at the respective contributions of belonging, emotional resilience, spirituality, prosocial behaviour, literacy and leisure. Others look at wellbeing through a social relations lens, including family relations, youth, persons with disability and gender. Finally, a chapter on wellbeing and economics illustrates different approaches to measuring wellbeing and identifying its determinants. The book concludes with a chapter that argues for the enduring importance of the welfare state if the wellbeing of all is to be ensured. This book is likely to be of interest to both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the social sciences as well as to a general readership. Contributors are: Angela Abela, Andrew Azzopardi, Paul Bartolo, Marie Briguglio, Amy Camilleri Zahra, Joanne Cassar, Marilyn Clark, Ruth Falzon, Vickie Gauci, Ingrid Grech Lanfranco, Natalie Kenely, Mary Anne Lauri, Marceline Naudi, Claudia Psaila, Clarissa Sammut Scerri, Sandra Scicluna Calleja, Barbara Stelmaszek, Sue Vella, and Val Williams.

This book provides an interdisciplinary collection of theoretical and methodological contributions critically exploring the connections between leisure and wellbeing. It expands the field of leisure studies to highlight the contribution of international scholars to a developing agenda in leisure and wellbeing research. Authors from many different countries engage with the complexity of subjective wellbeing through the lenses of diverse leisure cultures. Collectively, the chapters represent rigorous high-quality social science research, informed by innovative methods that can build knowledge about the intricate ways leisure cultures and subjective wellbeing are related to each other. The book serves to deepen the knowledge and understanding of the complexity of wellbeing experiences, and the diversity of contexts in which wellbeing is enhanced or reduced through taking part in leisure pursuits. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Leisure Studies.

Figurational sociology offers an important set of conceptual and methodological tools for helping us to understand sport, leisure and health and their relationship to wider society. This book brings together an international team of scholars working within the figurational tradition to explain the significance of figurational sociology in the development of the sociology of sport and to provide empirical case studies of figurational sociology in action. Covering core concepts such as the civilizing process, and key methods such as interviewing and ethnography, the book presents contemporary research in areas as diverse as sport-related health, mixed martial arts, sports policy, gender relations and cycling. Figurational Research in Sport, Leisure and Health is an important resource for students of sport and social sciences, sociology, figurational sociology and sociology of sport and exercise.

"Leisure is everywhere, but its impact on people's lives is often overlooked. Leisure is more than “doing nothing” or “hanging out.” It has implications for society, affecting economics, politics, business, health, and the environment. On an individual level, it offers multiple opportunities for personal growth and development. And it contributes to a better quality of life for individuals and communities as a whole. With Dimensions of Leisure for Life: Individuals and Society, students will learn to understand and appreciate leisure and explore the ways that their leisure choices can help them lead happier, more balanced lives both now and in the future. ... With contributions from 22 leading professors, the book examines the following: the concept of leisure, including the various ways in which it has been defined and described, the benefits associated with it, the scope of the leisure industry field, and the basis for studying leisure as a social science; the impact of leisure on quality of life, health, physical activity and stress levels, and overall happiness and well-being; the social significance of leisure, including the interaction of leisure with history, contemporary society, technology, the environment, economics, and politics and public policy; the factors that influence each individual's leisure choices and level of involvement in leisure activities, such as awareness of local options, barriers of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status, geographic distribution of leisure spaces; and maturity level and stage of development."--Publisher.

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.