A study on the mechanism by which outdoor sports embodied experiences affect young people's sense of life meaning

Under the dual influence of digital technology and the fast-paced modern lifestyle, outdoor sports have gradually become an important way to alleviate the anxiety of young people. This study adopts a mixed research method to explore the impact of different types of outdoor sports (fitness and physical training, leisure and entertainment, adventure and off-road exploration, and outdoor expansion training) on the sense of meaning in life of young people. Through random sampling, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on 508 young people who had participated in outdoor sports. The results show: (1) The participants were mainly young men aged 21 to 30; (2) The direct effect test indicates that there is a significant positive correlation between the physical experience of outdoor sports and the sense of meaning in life, among which fitness and physical training outdoor sports have the strongest correlation with the sense of meaning in life (0.241, p < 0.001); (3) The mediation effect test shows that emotional value and flow experience play a chain-like mediating role, among which adventure and off-road exploration outdoor sports have the strongest correlation with the sense of meaning in life (0.098, p < 0.01). Based on this, relevant suggestions are proposed: (1) Start from school physical education classes to cultivate attitudes and habits of outdoor sports; (2) Build a multi-party collaborative support system; (3) Regularly organize sharing and exchanges to enhance community belonging.