Qualità della vita, benessere e salute: significati e metafore conoscitive della vita

Over the last few years, terms such as health, subjective well-being, happiness, and quality of life have gained increasing attention both within and outside the scientific debate, sometimes even entering general speaking. It is probably due to the figure of Achille Ardigò (1988, 1997), the founder of the sociology of health in Italy, that we observe such interest in these topics. Recently, the relationship between health and society has developed under the sign of heterogeneity, drawing reflections on the quality of life (Maturo, 2009), the role of medicine (Giarelli and Vignera, 2004; Cipolla, 2004), the healthcare systems (Corposanto, 2007; Giarelli, 2005) and also on the perceived happiness and subjective well-being (Secondulfo, 2011). The present contribution sheds further light on the complex relationship between health and well-being, as well as on the meanings of health and food in contemporary societies.