Effects of post-trip eudaimonic reflections on affect, self-transcendence and philanthropy

Michael L. Lengieza, Janet K. Swim, Carter A. Hunt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recently, tourism scholars have recognized that travel can create transformation, including (1) personal benefits such as improved wellbeing and personal growth and (2) societal benefits such as increased open-mindedness and more positive pro-environmental attitudes, motivations, and behaviors. Expanding and integrating this research, this experimental study tests whether travel experiences, with eudaimonic elements of self-discovery and a sense of meaning, lead to these benefits and tests a proposed process where these experiences influence personal changes that subsequently create societal benefits. Specifically, using an online MTurk sample (n = 481) with a broad range of recent vacation experiences, we test whether (1) post-trip self-reflection on eudaimonic travel experiences (2) creates affective responses (3) that lead to self-transcendent changes and (4) subsequent post-trip philanthropy among recent travelers. Results of structural equation modeling indicate that philanthropic effects of travel were initiated by the eudaimonic self-reflections via eudaimonic affect and self-transcendent outcomes. This study contributes to the research linking eudaimonia and travel and provides insights into the ways that the travel industry can be harnessed as a potent tool for promoting personal meaning, self-transcendence, and prosocial outcomes.

Original languageChinese (Traditional)
Pages (from-to)285-306
Number of pages22
JournalService Industries Journal
Volume41
Issue number5-6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Strategy and Management
  • Management of Technology and Innovation

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