Shared flow in collective physical and sports activities and subjective well-being

Abstract

This study examines physical and sport activities as a source of shared flow or optimal shared experiences and their relationship with subjective well-being (SWB). Two studies are presented with university students (N=88 and N=285) participating in group sports and physical activities. Measures included the degree of engagement in the activity, individual and shared flow, positive emotions, and subjective well-being (SWB). The first study showed that shared flow was more intense than individual flow. In the second study, confirmatory factor analyses and multiple mediation analyses were performed. The results showed a second order factorial structure with nine primary dimensions, in addition to mediating effects of shared flow and positive emotions on SWB. The results confirm the relevance of shared flow during collective gatherings and its relations with SWB.