AUTHOR=Stenseng Frode , Steinsholt Ingvild Bredvei , Hygen Beate Wold , Kraft Pål 

TITLE=Running to get “lost”? Two types of escapism in recreational running and their relations to exercise dependence and subjective well-being

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1035196

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1035196

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Escapism is a fundamental motivation in many forms of activity engagements. At its core, <italic>escapism</italic> is “a habitual diversion of the mind … as an escape from reality or routine”. Accordingly, escapism may entail many adaptive and maladaptive psychological antecedents, covariates, and outcomes. However, few studies have been conducted on escapism as a motivational mindset in running. Here, in a sample of recreational runners (<italic>N</italic> = 227), we applied a two-dimensional model of escapism, comprising <italic>self-expansion</italic> (adaptive escapism) and <italic>self-suppression</italic> (maladaptive escapism), and examined how they were related to exercise dependence and subjective well-being. First, confirmatory factor analyses showed that the escapism dimensions were highly diversifiable in the sample. Then, correlational analyses showed that self-expansion was positively correlated to subjective well-being, whereas self-suppression was negatively related to well-being. Self-suppression was more strongly related to exercise dependence compared to self-expansion. Finally, path analyses evidenced an explanatory role of self-expansion and self-suppression in the inverse relationship between exercise dependence and well-being. In conclusion, the present findings support escapism as a relevant framework for understanding the relationship between exercise dependence in running and subjective well-being.</p>