EFFECTS OF LEISURE ACTIVITIES ON HAPPINESS IN THE CASE OF JAPAN

Kenichi SHIMAMOTO

KS Sustainability Research, Japan

ken_japan51@hotmail.com

Abstract

With the increase interest in adopting a form of happiness to policy goals, a wide range of studies on subjective well-being (SWB) have become available. Leisure is a key component of our daily life which can affect SWB. Leisure activities is said to reduce stress and promote health. It can be a social activity that provides a sense of belonging or the time can be used for self-development. There is a wide range of leisure activities such as sports, hobbies, volunteer participation and socializing. This paper examines the underlying characteristics of leisure activities by conducting a principal component analysis across leisure related variables by using cross section data for 47 prefectures in Japan. The main results find that regions with greater active/external type tend to have higher levels of SWB, and regions with greater self-development type tend to have lower levels of SWB.

Keywords: Subjective well-being, leisure, Japan

JEL classification: I31, Z00

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