Attending events is a ticket to happiness, study claims

A new study led by the University of South Australia has found that frequently attending in-person events can significantly boost well-being.

A study by tourism and events management experts from the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Flinders University found that regular participation in events such as festivals, exhibitions, sporting events, farmers' markets and food and beverage events leads to increased positive emotions and feelings such as joy, contentment, happiness and excitement.

The work was published in the International Journal of Tourism Research.

Regular event attendance was also found to be significantly associated with higher levels of engagement and total immersion in the activity, with time seeming to fly by.

Scientists surveyed more than 350 South Australians about how often they attended in-person and online events and how this related to their wellbeing.

Results showed a link between frequency of attendance at in-person events and higher levels of well-being due to increased positive emotions such as joy, happiness and excitement, as well as a stronger sense of engagement in the activity.

University of South Australia associate professor Sunny Son notes that while it is often claimed that taking part in activities can improve people's well-being, there is limited research examining their overall effects.

"In our study, we took a holistic approach, looking at the relationship between event attendance and well-being. We found evidence that event participation can significantly improve people's well-being, which encourages communities to use events to improve overall well-being," she says.

“Wellbeing has become an increasingly important topic for both individuals and communities, and is associated with a variety of benefits in the areas of health, work, family and social life.

Previous research has shown that high levels of well-being can reduce the risk of illness and injury, and increase life expectancy. People with high levels of well-being tend to perform better at work and make positive contributions to their communities, so this is important not only for health, but also for building strong, resilient and cohesive communities."

The study also found that participating in virtual events — such as online concerts or streams — promoted a sense of achievement. However, unlike in-person events, virtual events did not impact other aspects of well-being.

Flinders University senior lecturer Dr Eliza Kitchen believes organisations can harness the benefits of face-to-face events by incorporating them into employee rewards programmes, inviting customers, partners or other stakeholders to events or giving away free tickets to their employees.

“These strategies not only increase employee satisfaction and morale, but also create a more engaged and productive workforce,” she says.

“We also believe that universities and schools can use interventions to support student wellbeing, which is particularly important given the high prevalence of mental health problems among young people.

Special events provide valuable opportunities for students to interact, de-stress and grow personally. This also applies to local governments, which can host free events to help residents connect with their neighbours and build a sense of community, support and well-being."

"Our results show that events do much more than just boost tourism and the economy; they also play a key role in improving well-being. This gives us another strong argument for supporting events not only for tourists but also for local residents."