Predicting Personal Growth and Happiness by Using Serious Leisure Model

From a serious leisure perspective, serious leisure involvement is closely associated with positive outcomes such as enhancement of self-image and self-expression, improved social relationships and positive social interactions. This study hypothesizes that serious leisure involvement may lead to personal growth and happiness. Using a structural model, this study explored the relationship between serious leisure qualities and personal growth and happiness among Taekwondo participants (N = 167). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that there are causal relationships between serious leisure qualities and personal growth and happiness. The findings of this study have extended the exiting body of knowledge in serious leisure literature by quantitatively testing that personal growth and happiness are additional indicators of serious leisure outcomes. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015