Turn up, switch off, slow down: How a Leisure Mindset Amplifies the Subjective well-being Benefits of the Seaside

Abstract

Our relationship with the coast as a place for leisure is significant and coastal regions continue to be increasingly popular for visitors as the world opens up again to tourism (Eurostat, 2023). coasts have recently come into focus as a place of transformation and destinations requiring responsible management approaches because of environmental concerns including extreme weather and sea-level rise (Jarratt and Davies, 2020). However. natural aquatic environments are good for us and provide key well-being benefits (Georgiou, et al., 2021) and the prescription of nature is now considered as viable by even the more reticent GPs (Marx and More, 2022).

This presentation details research which extends the Leisure-Health receptor theory (Gammon and Jarratt, 2019) by understanding how a leisure state of mind might amplify subjective wellbeing benefits (SWB) of seaside spaces. It draws from two other theoretical constructs: affordance of the potential properties of environments perceived by individuals (Gibson, 1966), offering opportunities, not only to do, but to be; and savouring (Kurtz and Simmonds, 2015) – appreciating present moments and entering leisure spaces in the right frame of mind.

Data on 333 respondents, collected by survey questionnaire at six locations on the Lancashire, was used to construct a Seaside Wellbeing Index. Findings showed that although SWB benefits were experienced regardless of context, those at leisure demonstrated significantly higher SWI scores than those at work, indicating that a leisure state of mind is important for amplifying SWB in seaside environments. Additionally, overnight tourists were seen to have higher SWI scores, raising the question that the length of stay, slowing down and the time dimension of leisure are impactful on SWB. The presentation will argue that optimum conditions involve being at leisure, and slowing down, at blue spaces.