The Balanced Life
Using Strategies from Behavioral Science to Enhance Wellbeing

Comprehensive discussion of strategies from behavioral science used to enhance subjective wellbeing and achieve the balanced life.

M. Joseph Sirgy (Author)

9781009123242, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 May 2022

200 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.4 cm, 0.45 kg

'In a wide-ranging exploration of life balance across a variety of behavioral disciplines, the reader is provided with an expansive, cogent, and thoughtful examination. This exhaustive examination of how one might benefit by understanding one's complex, yet clearly connected life domains is an excellent worthwhile read.' Don Rahtz, Professor of Marketing, College of William and Mary, USA

The balanced life is a state of equally moderate-to-high levels of satisfaction in important and multiple life domains that contribute to overall life satisfaction. This book strives to improve the reader's understanding of what the balanced life is, and how it can be both achieved and maintained. Its primary goal is therefore to identify the major principles of life balance, and to introduce a comprehensive construct of the balanced life reflective of these principles. It discusses how life balance substantially contributes to subjective well-being – defined as life satisfaction, a preponderance of positive over negative feelings, and absence of ill-being – and explores strategies to attain life balance. It argues that achieving life balance, through manipulating one's thoughts and taking concrete action, will lead to increased personal happiness. Aimed at professional, academic, and lay audiences, this book is grounded in scientific studies related to work-life balance and the balanced life.

Part I. Introduction
1. Life balance: setting the stage and understanding the language
2. The imbalanced life
Part II. Inter-domain strategies to increase overall life satisfaction and achieve balance
3. Engagement in social roles in multiple life domain
4. Engagement in roles in health, love, family, material, social, work, and culture domains
5. Engagement in new social roles
Part III. Inter-domain strategies to increase domain satisfaction and achieve balance
6. Integrating domains with high satisfaction
7. Compartmentalizing domains with high dissatisfaction
8. Reallocating resources across domain
9. Reducing role conflict
10. Using skills, experiences, and resources in one role for other roles
11. Concluding thoughts.

Subject Areas: Clinical psychology [MMJ], Health psychology [MBNH9]