Leisure activity and daily mood across adulthood: results from the Korean Time Use Survey

Leisure activities are known to promote health and well-being in adulthood, yet little is known about how different types and patterns of leisure engagement are associated with daily mood and which characteristics of leisure are more beneficial for adults at different stages of life, with varying work and family commitments.

Using 2-day time diaries from the 2019 Korean Time Use Survey (participant N = 22,821; age 20-84), this study examined Korean adults' participation in various leisure activities, including outdoor and indoor activities, and assessed how total time spent and diversity (i.e., wide breadth of and evenly spread engagement) in these activities were linked to daily mood. We also explored whether these associations differed by age group (aged 20-39, 40-64, and 65-84).

Results from multilevel models showed that spending more time in outdoor (e.g., social visits, eating out, and exercising) and indoor (e.g., TV/media viewing and computer/gaming) leisure activities was associated with better mood for adults under age 65-younger and middle-aged adults, but not for older adults. Greater diversity in outdoor leisure activities was associated with better mood across all age groups.

These findings highlight life stage-specific implications of total time spent in leisure activity and the role of diverse outdoor activities in promoting emotional well-being across adulthood.