The WLO Special Interest Group (SIG) on Leisure and Well-being aims at looking into the diverse fields and dimensions of well-being within leisure contexts and related human experiences, anchored in the psychological perspective of optimal human functioning.
In this new century, well-being is considered a major topic for individuals and societies. Its relevance to improving worthy lives is recognized worldwide by academics and practitioners. On its turn, studies in the leisure field have been showing the key role of leisure in generating individual and social well-being. By bridging leisure and well-being, we aim to make this SIG an arena to improve evidence-based knowledge on human thriving, and thus contributing to the field of leisure research, education, knowledge transfer, and advocacy.
In order to achieve our SIG’s goals, we sustain our work on an interdisciplinary and cross-field approach. For this we invite all interested in this topic to join us in this project, making possible to exchange topics, theories, perspectives and methodologies, in order to perform innovation and good practices in human development through leisure contexts, activities, or experiences. We focus on a leisure life-span perspective, looking to all kind of populations and contexts, and human experiences.
The WLO SIG on Leisure and Well-Being will therefore work towards developing this area of interest with the collaboration of all interested members in reflections, projects and publications. The WLO structure and its available resources will be the permanent reference for continuous connections between SIG members, besides all WLO events that make possible group meetings. Any other meeting points can be suggested along the way.
Within this context, the SIG “Leisure and Well-being” aims at contributing to a better understanding of topics related, but not limited, to the following:
- Leisure and well-being
- Leisure and positive development
- Leisure and optimal experience/flow
- Leisure, health, and quality of life
- Leisure and happiness
- Lifestyle, life trajectories, and leisure
- Optimal functioning and leisure
- New methodological developments in leisure studies
- New educational leisure policies and practices
- Future trends and challenges in leisure
Please be welcome and share this invitation in your networks as this group is open to academics, professionals and students with a particular interest in Leisure and Well-being. For any additional information, please contact the WLO secretariat secretariat@worldleisure.org or the group facilitator, Dr Teresa Freire, tfreire@psi.uminho.pt
