Couples just want to have fun? The association between joint engagement in leisure, mutual liking of leisure activities, and relationship satisfaction trajectories

Joint engagement in leisure activities with a romantic partner has been linked to relationship satisfaction and short-term relationship quality. Furthermore, there is robust evidence highlighting the importance of similarity between partners for romantic relationship outcomes. Past research has mainly focused on similarities in personality traits or attitudes and less on similarities in leisure preferences. This study aimed to examine the association between joint engagement in leisure activities with change in relationship satisfaction across time as well as how mutual liking of leisure activities moderates this association. The data were derived from a large, federally funded study conducted between 1993 and 1995. Multilevel modeling indicated a direct positive association between joint leisure engagement and shorter-term relationship satisfaction. Although there were no significant moderation effects for either shorter- or longer-term relationship satisfaction, perceived mutual liking of leisure activities was positively associated with shorter-term relationship satisfaction. The study’s findings highlight the importance of understanding both the frequency and the context of leisure engagement for romantic partners and provide avenues for future research.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• El Kawas, Ghada

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ogolsky, Brian G.
• Kanter, Jeremy B.

• Dating Relationships
• Joint Leisure
• Relationship Satisfaction

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Ghada El Kawas

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127185

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127185