Leisure Activities are Associated with Physical and Mental Health

• Frequent leisure activity is associated with better physical and mental health. • Social and mindfulness activities are especially tied to mental health benefits. • Physical activities show the strongest association with physical health outcomes. • Sedentary activities negatively correlate with physical health. • Activity diversity offers no added health benefits beyond activity frequency. Engagement in leisure activities has been linked to improved mental and physical health. However, the extent to which different aspects of these activities (i.e., frequency, diversity, type) are associated with health in large-scale studies remains unclear. Drawing on comprehensive nationwide pandemic-era data, this study examined associations between the frequency and diversity of leisure activities and self-perceived health, and whether specific activity domains have stronger associations with physical or mental health. Data were drawn from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, including responses from 2,037 adults. Activity frequency and diversity were assessed across six domains: physical, social, cognitive, mindfulness, volunteer, and other activities. Ordered logistic regression was used to model associations between activities and self-perceived physical and mental health, adjusting for sociodemographic and health factors. Overall activity frequency was positively associated with physical and mental health. Social and mindfulness activities were more strongly associated with mental health, while physical activities were more strongly correlated with physical health. Other, more sedentary activities, were inversely associated with physical health. Activity diversity was not associated with health beyond frequency. Findings highlight the importance of active pursuits and suggest type and frequency of activities, rather than diversity, are associated with health.