In our globalised and rapidly changing world, lifestyle has a critical influence on human health. Various studies have shown that many serious illnesses can be prevented by adopting healthy behaviours and avoiding unhealthy ones. However, there is no clear definition of what a ‘lifestyle’ is and the concept has been used and defined in different ways by scientists from various fields of research. This is problematic for the development of effective interventions for promoting health.
The term lifestyle is usually associated with a person’s values, attitudes, and beliefs. Moreover, a person’s lifestyle can also reflect their preferences for different aspects of life such as work, leisure activities, and even foods. In addition, there are many different influences on a person’s lifestyle such as culture, environment, and family. These factors can be positive or negative. In this article, we will focus on the positive effects of a healthy lifestyle.
A healthy lifestyle consists of the choices and habits that an individual makes to benefit their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This includes eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and abstaining from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. It also entails regular sleep and relaxation. In addition, a healthy lifestyle aims to reduce stress levels and improve the functioning of the immune system. A healthy lifestyle can help prevent many common diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.
Lifestyle is a complex and diverse concept that has been subjected to multiple interpretations and research in psychological and sociological fields. This narrative review examines the main definitions of lifestyle in these fields and analyses them from three perspectives: internal, external, and temporal.
Those theories that place greater emphasis on the internal dimension of lifestyle define it as an organisation of personality, a set of values and attitudes, or a pattern of behaviour justified by these factors. They highlight the idea that a person’s behaviour is determined by the need to satisfy their primary needs. For example, some people are more oriented toward the need for security while others prefer to fulfil their needs in a creative way.
Other theories, mainly sociological in origin, have a more general approach and consider lifestyle as a product of social positioning within a society. Thorstein Veblen’s emulation theory opens this line of research and asserts that people adopt specific lifestyles according to the desire for distinction from other social strata they consider inferior or their desire to emulate those they regard as superior.
A third perspective on lifestyle focuses on the concept of time and sees it as a crucial element for the existence of a particular type of behaviour. For example, the choice of a leisure activity reflects the time available for that activity. The time available is determined by the cultural context, the level of affluence, and proximity to natural and social environments. Therefore, the lifestyle of a person living in rural areas differs significantly from that of a city dweller.