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Passion for a Leisure Activity, Presence of Meaning, and Search for Meaning: The Mediating Role of Emotion

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of having a passion for a leisure activity on the presence of meaning and the search for meaning in college students’ lives. A path analysis of the results from 322 Chinese university students showed that positive emotions experienced during leisure activities partially mediated the relationship between harmonious passion and the presence of meaning. Negative emotion fully mediated obsessive passion and the presence of meaning as well as obsessive passion and the search for meaning. Obsessive passion was not associated with positive emotion. Implications for the dualistic model of passion, the presence of meaning, and the search for meaning in college students are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors express appreciation to the anonymous reviewers who made very helpful comments on an earlier version of this article. The authors also appreciate the extensive content and English editing performed by Drs. Rhoda E. and Edmund F. Perozzi.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710032, China

    Shilei Zhang, Rui Shi, Xufeng Liu & Danmin Miao

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  1. Shilei Zhang
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Correspondence to Danmin Miao.

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Zhang, S., Shi, R., Liu, X. et al. Passion for a Leisure Activity, Presence of Meaning, and Search for Meaning: The Mediating Role of Emotion. Soc Indic Res 115, 1123–1135 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0260-8

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