本研究調查了英國牛津地區114名社區民眾,受訪者分別報告了對休閒生活之滿意度及幸福感,並對休閒生活在幾個向度上作了評估。另外,對幸福感的測量重複了兩次,相隔6個月。研究發現在不同休閒活動的選擇上存在有意義的性格差異,如高自尊的人選擇義工,高合作傾向的人選擇社團活動,神經質的人則選擇個人癖好而非運動。受訪者中有68 %的人自陳有一項認真投入的休閒活動,而他們對整體休閒生活較感投注,有較多控制,但也感較有壓力及挑戰;同時他們的休閒滿意度也較高。在對整體樣本所做的複回歸分析中發現休閒滿意度與幸福感有相關,而社會層面的休閒滿意度更能預測幸福感。
114 subjects rated their happiness, leisure satisfaction, and several dimensions of leisure activity at two points in time. Some personality differences were found between those choosing different kinds of leisure, e. g. seff-esteem and voluntary work, cooperativeness and clubs, neuroticism and hobbies rather than sports. Sixty-eight percent of respondants reported being committed to a leisure activity; they found their leisure to be more absorbing, more under control, and more challenging as well as more stressful than those who were not committed to a leisure activity; and they also had greater leisure satisfaction. Leisure satisfaction correlated with happiness, and social aspects of Leisure satisfaction predicted happiness in longitudinal analysis.