From satisfaction to satiation: the gradation model of satiation in casual leisure

Abstract

Excessive participation in casual leisure activities often leads to satiation, which leaves people no pleasure. Prior research did not consider the gradation effects on the accumulation of satiation. This study proposed a theoretical model to illuminate the changing process of satiation. With repeated stimulation, people undergo three stages: implicit satiation (S1), explicit satiation (S2), and dull satiation (S3). This study conceived the idea of satiation stages. The changing process of enjoyment was studied as the participants listened to repeated music during the experiments. Results show that when total utility is used as a criterion, the marginal utility of stage S1 yields higher affective experience than that of stage S2 and S3. Negative emotions cause individuals to adopt the avoidant coping strategy, S3, which involves more repetition, thereby resulting in a better experience memory and taking less recovery time than S2.