Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion
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Data: A family's "core" leisure activities (those that are
typically everyday, low-cost, home-based activities such as playing
board games, playing in the yard, gardening and watching television
together) were related to the family's cohesion. Both a family's "core" activities
and their "balance" activities (those that are novel experiences
and require a greater investment of time, effort, planning and
money--such as vacations, special events, and sports activities)
were related to the family's ability to adapt...(more) "Families that play together, stay together" certainly has a nice ring to it, but does the evidence support the aphorism? It does. The social science research shows that spending recreation time together fosters a healthy family environment. A study published in the July 2001 issue of Family Relations explored how two types of family leisure activities, core and balance activities, influenced family members’ perspectives on emotional bonding (cohesiveness) and flexibility in roles and rules (adaptability) within the family. For the study, researchers surveyed 138 college students about their families. The study asked the students about two kinds of activities. Core activities were defined as "common, everyday" activities, such as watching TV or playing sports in the backyard. In contrast, balance pattern activities were defined as more "novel" experiences that were less frequent and often away from home, such as a family vacation. The researchers found that both core and balance activities are positively correlated with family cohesiveness and adaptability. In fact, the strongest association was between core activities, which families do with consistency and familiarity, and perceptions of family cohesiveness, the emotional attachment aspect of familial relationships. These findings suggest that spending leisure time with one’s family – be it playing a game of Scrabble or taking a road trip – enhances the quality of life and the relationships at home. |
Other
findings on family leisure patterns:
 Teens who eat dinner with their families are less likely to engage in risky behaviors...(more) Time spent with parents improves adolescents’ emotional health...(more) Family Research Experts:
Pat Fagan William H. G. FitzGerald Research Fellow in Family and Cultural Issues Christine Kim Policy Analyst, Domestic Policy Studies Jennifer Marshall Director, Domestic Policy Studies For Interviews call Media Relations at (202) 675-1761 |
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| The Heritage Foundation's familyfacts.org catalogs social science findings on the family, society and religion gleaned from peer-reviewed journals, books and government surveys. Serving policymakers, journalists, scholars and the general public, familyfacts.org makes social science research easily accessible to the non-specialist. | ||
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Resources
Events:Religious Practice and Civic Life: What the Research Says October 4, 2007 |