The Role of Leisure, Recreation, and Play in Health and Well-Being

According to a 40-year panel study by Robinson and Godbey [1], most Americans have an average of 40 hours of leisure time per week, outside of work and personal maintenance (e.g., sleeping, eating, bathing). While initially this was encouraging news, it has been disputed, and Robinson and Godbey [1] report that much of that time is spent watching television, which is a vicarious passive activity. The person is being acted upon, instead of being the actor in the experience. As the prevalence of chronic conditions continues to rise (including overweight, obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases), people are busier than ever, trying to maximize their time through multitasking, which adds to the perception of time famine, or the feeling we never have enough time. Max Weber’s axiom “we live to work” still rings true in contemporary society [2]. However, at what cost to our health and well-being? As theologian philosopher Josef Pieper [3] emphasized, we need to strive for a world where we work to live.