Lifestyle is an important aspect of the way in which we live. It influences our health, happiness, and well-being. It affects our work, family life, and leisure time. It is also a factor in our success and personal achievement. But what exactly is a lifestyle? It is a combination of habits that we develop over our lifetime. These habits include the way we spend our time, how we spend our energy and how we make money.
In the past, researchers interpreted lifestyles primarily as frameworks of values and principles that define people’s behaviours. This approach was rooted in the psychoanalytic theories of Alfred Adler and Milton Rokeach. This type of analysis aimed to identify the underlying psychological structures that motivate an individual’s choices and actions, which are then reflected in the individual’s lifestyle.
This view was supported by research conducted in the field of personality psychology, such as that carried out by Arnold Mitchell’s VALS research and Lynn R. Kahle’s LOV research. These studies developed models of lifestyles as hierarchically ordered sets of values and attitudes, allowing for the identification of different lifestyle profiles in different population sectors.
However, these perspectives did not fully consider the social and cultural context of lifestyles. This is why they are limited in their ability to understand the role of antecedent factors in the development of lifestyles and the way in which these factors influence behavioural trends. In the field of health, critical health psychology has reexamined these approaches to lifestyle and has suggested a new model that could provide more clarity on this concept.
The new model includes a system of meanings, attitudes and values that are reflected in the ways we choose to organise our lives and engage with the world around us. It has been called “healthy lifestyles” and involves a pattern of habits that promote healthy behaviours and a sense of well-being. This type of lifestyle is associated with a lower risk for chronic diseases, and it is more environmentally friendly.
In addition, a healthy lifestyle can save you money on expensive healthcare bills. Moreover, it can help you to avoid many costly addictions such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and junk food.
Another advantage of a healthy lifestyle is that it can make you feel more confident and attractive. It can even help you to become a better person, which will lead to greater satisfaction in your life.