The Conceptualisation of Leisure as an Indicator and Component of Social Wellbeing

Leisure is a multidimensional construct, encompassing both personal and social factors. Subjective and social wellbeing are mutually dependent and are intertwined in ways that affect one another through dynamic processes. Participation in leisure has repeatedly been linked to a reduction of stress, which in turn leads to an increase in overall health and life satisfaction. This chapter discusses why leisure is one of the most important components of social wellbeing that contributes to a sense of social belonging. Leisure could however also work to constrain leisure opportunities in the face of unequal social relations and risk-taking behaviours that compromise community wellbeing. We argue that leisure practices are often embedded in relational, social contexts, which go beyond individual differences and preferences and are affected by economic, political, racial, cultural and social factors. The chapter also argues that leisure relations are always political. Firstly, leisure is located in the symbolic space between freedom and control. Secondly leisure provides the possibility for contestation of mainstream norms and the accommodation of alternative lifestyles.