Keywords

attachment, connection, couples, family leisure, methodology, oxytocin

Abstract

Leisure experiences are often associated with social connectedness. One measure of social connection underutilized in leisure studies is the neurohormone oxytocin. This methodological note considers issues researchers need to address when incorporating oxytocin in their study design. Noninvasive sources for sampling oxytocin include saliva and urine; however, the decision about which method to employ is not well documented. This study provides the first methodological note on collecting oxytocin in leisure studies and provides a comparison of urine vs. saliva measures for oxytocin in the context of leisure activities. Our findings indicate that urine samples are more sensitive to oxytocin change in leisure studies. The discussion provides additional practical implications for future research studies regarding the choice between urine and saliva data collection methods.

Original Publication Citation

"Measuring Social Connectedness during Shared Leisure Activities Using Oxytocin: A Comparison of Sampling Urine versus Saliva", Pages 1-14, Leisure Sciences, 2022

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2022

Publisher

Leisure Sciences

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Experience Design and Management

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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