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[[Image:Tigers playing in water.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Tiger]]s playing in the water.]]
[[Image:Little girl in tyre swing.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Girl playing on tire swing.]]
[[Image:Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts, July 2005.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Adults canoeing, enjoying the day.]]
[[Image:Leaping the tennis net.jpg|thumb|right|Spontaneous and original fun.]]
'''Recreation''' is the employment of time in a non-profitable way, in many ways also a [[Therapy|therapeutic]] [[refreshment]] of one's [[body]] or [[mind]].  
While [[leisure]] is more likely a form of entertainment or rest, recreation is active and participatory, but in a refreshing and diverting manner.
As people in the world's wealthier regions lead increasingly [[sedentary lifestyle|sedentary life style]]s, the need for recreation has grown.
The rise of so called [[active vacation]]s exemplify this.

Recreation, play, and fun are not the preserve of humans; nearly all creatures indulge in this to some extent.  Play is essential for the development of skills, the most basic of which are motor skills in young creatures.

The choice of hours for recreation is for employees restricted by the requirements of, and agreements with, the employer ([[working time]]), and for students restricted by school hours. For people with their own business it is also restricted by the requirements of the work, such as the opening hours of the business based on wishes of customers, laws, and customs.

The [[weekend]] is typically a time for recreation, perhaps (in [[Judeo-Christian]] and [[Islam|Muslim]] cultures) because the [[Sabbath]] falls on the weekend and the Sabbath is "the day of rest."  
[[Holiday]]s are also a common time for recreation.

Traditionally [[music]] and [[dance]] serve as recreation in many cultures, as do [[sports]], [[hobbies]], [[game]]s ([[Play (activity)|playing]]) and [[tourism]]. 
Watching [[Television|TV]] and listening to [[music]] are common forms of recreation, or rather leisure.

For many, the most valued recreation is spontaneous and original.

Many activities may be considered recreational:
*[[Conversation|Conversing]]
*[[Food and drink|Eating and drinking]]
*[[Hobbies]]
*[[Hunting]] and [[fishing]]
*Playing [[games]]
*[[Reading (activity)|Reading]] a [[book]]
*[[Sexual behavior]]
*[[Shopping]]
*[[Kite flying]]
*[[Sports]] and [[exercise]]
*[[Travel]] and [[tourism]]
*[[Martial arts]]
*Using the [[Internet]]
*Visiting an [[amusement park]]
*[[Recreational drug]] usage, by itself and in combination with the many of the above

In recent years, more 'exciting' forms of recreation have risen in popularity: 
[[skiing]], [[snowboarding]], [[bungee jumping]], [[sky diving]], [[hang gliding]], [[paint balling]], [[rock climbing]], [[backpacking (wilderness)|backpacking]], [[canyoning]], [[caving]], [[BASE jumping]], and [[adventure tourism]].  
<br>

==Law and morality==

Some recreational activities are made illegal in many legal jurisdictions because of the perceived immorality of certain forms of recreation. These include [[gambling]], some forms of [[sex]], and drug use. Often one form of an activity is arbitrarily viewed as immoral by a culture while other forms are acceptable. For example, some forms of  sex have been outlawed in certain regions, such as prohibitions against [[sodomy]] and [[oral sex]] in much of the [[United States]] (though the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] recently ruled such laws unconstitutional in the landmark [[Lawrence v. Texas]] case), while other forms of intercourse are acceptable. Another example is recreational drug use. In most of the world, responsible [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] consumption, a form of recreational drug use, is legal and acceptable by most people's moral standards. This is probably because alcohol has traditionally been in wide use in [[Western Europe]]. Note that nearly all drugs that have traditionally not been widely used in European culture have been deemed illegal in most of the world. This does not typically effect the usage rates for most drugs. However, in much of the Western world, legalization of so-called [[soft drugs]] is slowly beginning to be widely accepted. 

Some individuals view recreation as largely non-productive, even trivial. Excessive recreation is not considered healthy, and may be labeled as [[escapism]]. However, research has shown that recreation contributes to life satisfaction, quality of life, health and wellness, and that the use of recreation as a diversion may have clinical applications to individuals with chronic pain and other health impairments. In some cultures and religions, recreation is encouraged on certain days and discouraged on others. For example, in [[Judaism]], the [[Sabbath]] is a day for recreation and relaxation, which has in turn influenced many Christian sects to use the Sabbath for the same purpose. However, some sects interpret the Sabbath to be a day where worship is done in lieu of recreation.

Recreation is essential to the longevity of human beings. It is roughly the opposite of [[stress (medicine)|stress]]. Today, stress is the number one killer in the United States according to [[Time (magazine)|''TIME'' magazine]]. Stress can lead to a number of ailments, such as [[hypertension]].

==See also==
*[[List of game topics]]
* [[List of hobbies]]

[[Category:Recreation| ]]

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[[nl:Recreatie]]
[[pl:Rekreacja]]
[[ru:Отдых]]
[[sl:Razvedrilo]]
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[[th:นันทนาการ]]


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