A lifestyle is a complex construct that defines the way we live our lives and can greatly influence the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of a person. It is the pattern of daily habits and behaviours that encompass how we spend our time and energy, such as work, leisure activities, dietary choices, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc. It can also include values and beliefs, which are the underlying motivations that guide these habits.
It is important to note that a lifestyle can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on the individual and on their socioeconomic status and environment. In this context, the concept of lifestyle is central to health psychology and other disciplines such as health promotion. However, to advance this area of research, it is necessary to have a better understanding of the different conceptualisations of lifestyle.
The current literature on this topic contains several definitions and interpretations of the term. Initially, some authors considered that lifestyle was a characteristic of the personality and its framework of guiding values, arguing that this framework influences behaviour throughout life. This approach is evident in the works of Alfred Adler, Milton Rokeach, Arnold Mitchell, and Lynn R. Kahle. Nevertheless, this conception of lifestyle is still being debated. Other authors, on the other hand, have opted for an internal interpretation of the concept.
These theories see a lifestyle as a system of attitudes and behaviours that define health practice models. This concept is being increasingly used in the field of health. The challenge is to understand the antecedent factors that determine these practices and how they evolve over time.
A third interpretation, which is closer to the sociological perspectives of Georg Simmel and Pierre Bourdieu, analyses lifestyles on the basis of their structure as well as the processes and effects that they generate. This approach to the lifestyle concept considers that the defining characteristics of a lifestyle are the habits and activities that make up a person’s habitus, which is determined by personal tastes and influenced by social practices and environments.
The temporal dimension of lifestyles also appears to be a common characteristic in the various models and interpretations. In this sense, it is crucial to address how a person’s lifestyle changes over the course of the years and through the various phases of their life.
The study of lifestyles in health psychology is fundamental for developing a model that incorporates this concept into the design of effective health promotion interventions. However, the current approach to this discipline tends towards a neoliberal perspective in which lifestyle is seen as a collection of individual choices and behaviours that can be modified according to predetermined criteria. This view can lead to a lack of appreciation for the complexity of lifestyles and their interaction with the environment. This is a risk that can be avoided by moving beyond a neoliberal vision of health practice and incorporating the concept of lifestyle into an explanatory model that takes into account the antecedents and evolution of these health behaviours.