Can conspicuous leisure behavior impact subjective well-being? A perspective of social comparison orientation from campers

This study explored how campers’ social comparison orientation influences their conspicuous leisure behavior and, subsequently, their subjective well-being. It also examined the moderating effects of self-concept clarity and leisure involvement. We randomly sampled users of expensive camping gear to obtain 426 valid responses, which were adopted in the analysis using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The findings showed that campers’ social comparison orientation positively affected their conspicuous leisure behavior. Self-concept clarity moderated the relationship between social comparison orientation and conspicuous leisure behavior. Moreover, campers’ conspicuous leisure behavior positively affected their subjective well-being, and leisure involvement moderated the relationship between conspicuous leisure behavior and subjective well-being. These results indicated the importance of conspicuous leisure behavior and its positive impact on subjective well-being. These findings can provide businesses with precise directions for their marketing strategies.