Leisure and health: why is leisure therapeutic?

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the empirical evidence and describe theoretical perspectives that address under what conditions and why leisure can be therapeutic and contribute to health and well-being. This review of the literature provides empirical evidence that leisure can contribute to physical, social, emotional and cognitive health through prevention, coping (adjustment, remediation, diversion), and transcendence. After examining this empirical evidence, the article addresses why leisure is therapeutic and concludes by presenting two concepts useful to practitioners who desire to provide leisure guidance to help people avoid risk and maximise the therapeutic possibilities of leisure.

Notes

This longitudinal study began in 1985 to examine health and disease and their relation to the socioeconomic status of 10,308 civil servants in London.

The first Whitehall study began in 1967 and ended in 1970. Data were collected from 18,403 male civil servants in London.