A key term in sociology and health psychology, lifestyle is the name given to the specific way a person organises their daily activities. It is also a concept that is subject to many debates and is constantly being reworked.
It is a very complex construct, which varies according to the discipline and the area of research. There are several definitions that have been proposed, each with its own ambitions and limits. However, they are all able to bring something new to the field and to contribute to its development.
There are two main explicit lifestyle definitions in the psychological literature: the first one defines it as an organisation of personality, while the second one takes into account the values and attitudes that guide the behaviour. The internal dimension of lifestyles is also important, as it is a factor that has an influence on the behaviour of each person.
Various studies have used the concept of lifestyle to explore how people manage their own lives, and how they try to achieve happiness. Some of these studies have aimed to evaluate the effect of a person’s lifestyle on their physical and mental health. They have tried to determine whether some lifestyles are more detrimental to health than others, and to identify the factors that influence these lifestyles.
It is also important to analyse the relationship between different types of lifestyles and certain social factors, such as gender, age, and cultural characteristics. Some of these lifestyles have been linked to diseases such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. The issue of the connection between lifestyles and these diseases is still under debate, but it is clear that there is a link. There are also other factors that influence the health of a person, such as their diet and their level of exercise.
The concept of lifestyle has been reworked in various disciplines, but it is still a relatively new idea and has yet to be fully understood. Some studies have focused on the effects of particular lifestyles on an individual’s health, while others have been more concerned with how different types of lifestyles may affect society as a whole.
A more recent trend has taken into account consumption as a defining factor of lifestyles. This has been done in the context of sustainable behaviour, which is a crucial factor for tackling environmental degradation.
In this paper, we have reexamined the main definitions and results of lifestyle studies in psychological and sociological literature. We have attempted to reconsider these definitions from three perspectives: internal, external, and temporal. These dimensions are fundamental to understanding the lifestyle concept and developing more effective research models. This is especially important in the context of health psychology, where the study of lifestyles can have a significant impact on interventions to promote healthy behaviour. Therefore, this work is a step toward the construction of a more effective model for promoting healthier lifestyles.
