Happy campers? The relationships between leisure functioning, serious leisure, and happiness

We examined the mediating role of serious leisure in the relationship between leisure functioning and happiness with data from 284 Korean campers, analyzed primarily using structural equation modeling. Results showed that the campers’ leisure functioning had a positive effect on serious leisure, and serious leisure had a positive effect on happiness. Further, the leisure functioning of the campers had an indirect impact on their happiness through the mediator of serious leisure. The findings showed that serious leisure plays an important role in perceived happiness in the camping context. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.