A reason to eat healthy: The role of meaning in life in maintaining homeostasis in modern society.

Health is a state of homeostasis of four principle kinds, namely, biochemical, physiological, psychological, and social. In this article, we complete this theory with a fifth element, namely, spiritual balance. Existential attitudes have been found to be closely related to identity formation, moral development, value-related attitudes, personal goals, and lifestyle choices.

A reason to stay healthy: The role of meaning in life in relation to physical activity and healthy eating among adolescents.

The present longitudinal study investigated the incremental contribution of meaning in life to sustaining health-promoting behaviors, after controlling for well-being and health values among East-European adolescents (N = 456). Time 1 responses on presence of meaning, search for meaning, well-being, and health values were used to predict levels of healthy eating and physical activity 13 months later. All independent variables significantly predicted engagement in healthy eating and physical activity.

Meaning in life: is it a protective factor for adolescents' psychological health?

Background: Searching for a coherent meaning in life has long been proposed to be a protective factor in adolescent development.

Purpose: The present study aimed to examine meaning in life as a protective factor in a largely unstudied population: Romanian adolescents. Additionally, we sought to provide a novel, multidimensional assessment of several health-related variables (substance abuse, health risk behaviors, psychological health).