A lot has been said about lifestyles, but it remains a difficult concept to define. A key issue is that the concept has different meanings for different researchers. It may be used to describe an individual’s way of living, or the set of behavioural patterns that characterise that person (such as diet, exercise and social interaction) or as a model of health behaviour influenced by external factors such as the socio-economic environment in which people live.
It could also be defined as the combination of a series of characteristics, such as interests and attitudes, which constitutes the individual’s personality. In this context, lifestyle has been described by psychologists such as Alfred Adler, who claimed that a person builds their vision of the world during the first years of life and this sets the framework of guiding values and principles that determine their reactions and behaviour throughout their lives. Other researchers, such as Milton Rokeach, Arnold Mitchell and Lynn R. Kahle, took a similar approach to this subject and developed a model of hierarchically organised values.
A more recent approach, originating from the sociological theory of Max Weber and Bourdieu, is to consider lifestyles as a product of the individual’s position within the social structure. This view of the lifestyle is expressed through a system of signs that distinguishes status groups. The concept is based on the assumption that the lifestyle of individuals depends on their desire for distinction from other strata identified as inferior and their emulation of those that are recognised as superior.
This trend in lifestyle analysis has led to the identification of various models of behavioural profiles that are categorised according to their level of socialisation. These models are characterised by their synchronic and diachronic analyses, as well as by the way in which they identify trends in lifestyles.
In the context of the current debate on health and wellbeing, it is useful to define lifestyles as a model for healthy dietary habits. This includes the adoption of a healthy weight, as well as healthy food and physical activity and the rejection of unhealthy foods and excessive eating. It is also important to recognise that a healthy lifestyle also includes a positive attitude to life and a refusal to give in to negative emotions such as depression or anxiety.
The development of a definition of lifestyle that incorporates these components should allow future research to take a more holistic approach and define a set of practices – antecedent to those practised – as health practice models. This should enable a more structured approach to research on lifestyles and provide the basis for the design of appropriate interventions. However, this needs to be done carefully in order to avoid adding a new concept without an adequate theoretical and explanatory model. This could result in the development of an additional lifestyle intervention which has no real added value to health. In addition, it is important to remember that these behaviours will be impermanent and that they will disappear one day.
