In the study of human civilization, we encounter two interrelated concepts: culture and way of life. Anthropologists and sociologists have long been captivated by human behavior in various societies, studying people’s cultures and lifestyles.
Key Takeaways
- Culture encompasses the shared values, beliefs, customs, and practices of a group or society, while lifestyle refers to an individual’s or group’s daily habits, choices, and behaviors.
- Culture is transmitted across generations and shapes collective identity, while lifestyle is more individualized and adaptable.
- Culture influences lifestyle choices, but lifestyle can also reflect personal preferences and individual experiences.
Culture vs Lifestyle
Culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a group or society. Culture is passed down from generation to generation. Culture is a broader concept that covers lifestyle, while lifestyle is a more specific due to cultural values and norms.
Culture is a broad term that includes social norms and practices. This can be considered as a collection of people’s complete way of life that has been passed down through generations.
Almost everyone in a particular society shares these cultural characteristics. Another intriguing feature of that society is that it is passed down rather than inherited. As a result, culture has an impact on one’s behavior.
A person’s lifestyle is their way of living. It’s a way of life for me. A person’s, group’s, or culture’s lifestyle encompasses their behaviors, interests, needs, wants, intentions, emotions, views, and behavioral orientations.
In other words, our use, our behavior, how we spend our leisure time, and other social patterns all reflect our way of life. A person’s lifestyle might also differ from one person to the next.
A person living in an urban region, for example, has an entirely different lifestyle than someone living in a rural town. A person’s lifestyle can also help them develop a sense of self.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Culture | Lifestyle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Culture is the set of ideas and practices that we learn, share, and pass down to the next generation. | A person’s or a group of people’s lifestyle can be defined as their way of living. |
| Nature | Culture always refers to a group or community of people. | Lifestyle might relate to a person’s way of life. |
| Connection | Culture includes a way of living. | People with varied lifestyles can exist within a single society. |
| Changes | Changing a complete culture is tough because it is ingrained in the individual. | A person can alter his lifestyle. |
| Focus | Culture primarily focuses on tangible components. | Lifestyle might be expressed in tangible and intangible components. |
What is Culture?
Culture, according to Ralph Linton, is the system of thoughts and practices that we learn, share, and pass down through generations. This comprises all parts of a society’s basis, such as conventions, traditions, values, mores, folklore, and the arts.
Culture facilitates human relationships by fostering societal uniformity. Culture is shared in this way.
Culture encompasses all lifestyles that exist within a civilization, not just one that belongs to a certain group of people. Culture is passed down over generations by the people of that society.
This happens as a result of the socialization process. Socialization occurs in a variety of circumstances. First, the infant learns the ways of society through his or her parents in the household.
Primary socialization is the term used to describe this process. However, as the child receives knowledge from other actors in society, such as schools, peer groups, and so on, socialization takes on a larger meaning.
Secondary socialization is the term for this process. Culture can also provide remedies for social problems. These can take the shape of societal values that are upheld.
Most civilizations, for example, place a high priority on caring for the elderly. These are ingrained in society to decrease societal issues.
What is Lifestyle?
A person’s or a group of people’s lifestyle can be defined as their way of living. People in various societies live in diverse ways. Even within a single community, people might have different lifestyles depending on their background.
For example, a person of one religious background may have a quite different lifestyle than someone of another. A lifestyle permits a person to feel at ease in his surroundings and deal with challenges that come his way.
It’s a way of adjusting to life’s daily realities. A person’s lifestyle encompasses all aspects of his or her life, including his or her behavior, thoughts, employment, leisure, dress, food, interests, and so on.
The culture of that particular society has a huge impact on this. Because culture encompasses a broader scope that encompasses not only people’s lifestyles but also their norms, values, customs, and every other facet of society that contributes to social cohesiveness and stability, people’s lifestyles are inevitably influenced.
Take, for example, the societal rules around clothing. The way we dress in our daily life is based on these rules. The cultural code dictates what we think is proper in certain contexts. This then becomes a way of life for us.
Main Differences Between Culture and Lifestyle
- Culture refers to the ideas and practices that we acquire, adapt, and pass down from generation to generation, whereas The way of life of a person or a group of people is characterized as their lifestyle.
- Culture encompasses a way of life whereas, Within a single culture, people with various lifestyles can coexist.
- A person’s lifestyle can be changed, but changing a culture is difficult because it is deeply embedded in the individual.
- A group or community of people is always referred to as culture, whereas a person’s way of life is referred to as lifestyle.
- Custom primarily focuses on concrete components, but lifestyle can be reflected through both tangible and intangible elements.
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/026327687004001003
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0193945915615238
Last Updated : 25 November, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
