Contribution of Relaxation on the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults

The purpose of the present study is to explore situations in which older adults experienced relaxation and examine the relationship between relaxation and subjective well-being. For this study, we interviewed 12 retired adults who were recruited from a local aging agency in a Midwestern city in the United States. We used the Experience Sampling Method to collect data on the individuals' daily experiences. The results showed that the older adults were likely to experience relaxation when engaged in personal activities and passive leisure and that relaxation was positively related to feelings of happiness, cheerfulness, and sociability. These results imply that the significance of high-intensity activities may decrease among retirees and that subjective well-being may be maintained through casual leisure participation in the later stages of life.