December 2009 - Parks & Recreation - 33

Francophone Games indicated a willingness to renew their volunteer activities due to the positive experiences they
had gained during the activities. Additionally, they said that being part of the
culture, gaining feelings of belonging,
and gaining socialization opportunities
were important aspects of their volunteer experiences.
Serious runners indicated that the
benefits gained through their activities
included not only a sense of accomplishment and increased health and fitness,
but also an enhanced social life. Researchers learned that older adults with
a heavy commitment to golf tended to
accentuate the development of social interaction and friendship through their
participation in serious leisure activities.
Moreover, the establishment of social networks to support and to encourage involvement in community-based
leisure is a feature of serious leisure.
A social world network of social actors

comprised of the grassroots associations and allied organizations provides
remarkable evidence of the social benefits. Empirical benefits include improved
interpersonal relationships, communication skills, and cooperation in the regional social world of creative arts by sharing
knowledge and experiences of the network structure.

Conclusion
This review demonstrates that serious
leisure pursuits involve a number of
benefits. It appears that research in the
field is accordance with Robert Stebbins's claim in 2005 that subjective
well-being has many social dimensions, and serious leisure may be a
vehicle for facilitating subjective wellbeing. This occurs through the expansion of social circles and the promotion
of social companionship. Additionally,
sense of achievement, an increase in

self-esteem, stress relief, skill acquisition, and an enhanced level of selfconfidence are important benefits of
such pursuits. Social affiliation was
found to be a meaningful concept in
serious leisure. As serious leisure participants show more commitment and
long-lasting engagement in their chosen activities than the majority of people, it is essential for leisure service
providers to acknowledge these special benefits.

Junhyoung Kim is a Ph.D. student in the

Department of Recreation, Park, and
Tourism Management at Pennsylvania
State University. His current research
focuses on cross-cultural contact activity
for personal growth and serious leisure
experience. Jinmoo Heo is an assistant
professor in the Department of Tourism,
Conventions, and Event Management at
Indiana University-Indianapolis.

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