Your lifestyle is your personal set of habits and values that shape the way you live your life. This includes things like the food you eat, the exercise you do, and even the way you choose to relax or cope with stress. A healthy lifestyle is important for many reasons, from increasing energy levels to reducing the risk of disease. But it can be difficult to change old habits and develop new ones. It’s also important to be patient and kind to yourself as you work to make changes in your lifestyle.
People’s lifestyles can be influenced by the environment, culture, and values around them. For example, a person living in a rural area will likely have different lifestyles than someone living in the city. Additionally, an urban person’s lifestyle may be influenced by the amenities and activities available in their neighborhood. For example, if there are many recreational opportunities near a person’s home, they may have a lifestyle that is focused on the outdoors or socialising with friends.
There are several different theories about lifestyle, and each has its own focus. Some of the most well-known are sociological in nature and focus on the social positioning of individuals within a specific society. These theories include Thorstein Veblen’s “emulation” concept, which describes how people adopt specific lifestyles in order to demonstrate their differences from those of lower social strata. Others, such as those of Max Weber, emphasize the role that lifestyle plays in identifying one’s group of belonging.
Other lifestyle theories focus on an internal dimension, which involves a person’s mental and emotional state. This approach is based on the work of psychoanalysts such as Daniel Yankelovich and William Wells. This line of research considers attitudes, interests, and opinions as a lifestyle’s core components, and it is analysed from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives.
Another approach to defining lifestyle is through an external dimension, which looks at the way that a person’s lifestyle can be influenced by the wider social context. This theory is rooted in the work of sociologists such as Rokeach, who identified a person’s behavioural patterns as a lifestyle and which were then influenced by hierarchically ordered values.
In health psychology, the most common view of a person’s lifestyle is that it can be influenced by their health behaviours. The aim of this line of research is to identify a person’s behavioural patterns that are associated with a healthy lifestyle, and then develop effective interventions aimed at promoting these behavioural changes. However, this perspective has some limitations and has been criticised by other researchers for its exclusive focus on risk behaviours. This is why critical health psychology advocates a more complex vision of lifestyle.