Optimal experience in work and leisure among teachers and physicians: Individual and bio-cultural implications

We investigated the role of work and leisure in the daily life of two groups of professionals, whose work outcomes affect the wellbeing, survival and development of other individuals, at both the biological and cultural levels: physicians and teachers. The relationship between work and leisure activities and optimal experience, characterized by engagement, enjoyment and intrinsic motivation, was investigated by means of the flow questionnaire, assessing the occurrence of optimal experience in participants' lives, its psychological features and associated activities. The participants' relationship with their work was analysed through the life theme questionnaire, investigating the motivations underlying job choice and work situations associated with positive and negative experiences. Results showed substantial overlapping of the two samples in the description of optimal experience. Participants mostly associated optimal experience with complex and engaging tasks: work, structured leisure activities and reading were prominently reported by both groups. The features of optimal experience were also compared across three major life domains: work, leisure and the use of media. No major differences were found. The findings highlighted: (a) the relationship between optimal experience related activities and individual development and life choices; and (b) the potential of optimal experience as a tool for implementing intervention programmes in the domains of health, education, and leisure.