FOOD, EXERCISE AND LIFESTYLE ARE PREDICTORS OF A HEDONIC OR EUDAIMONIC QUALITY OF LIFE IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Background: The article focuses on the hedonistic-eudaimonic dimension of quality of life. Hedonic and eudaimonic qualities of life do not exclude each other; on the contrary, they jointly shape human life. Food, exercise, and lifestyle are identified as variables of hedonism; the quality of life is examined among university students in Slovakia. Methods: The research was conducted from January to June 2022. The research objectives were as follows: to determine how university students respond to the strong influence of global hedonism in the form of consumer society, individualism, and the cult of the body, youth, and beauty; and to explore the mutual relationship between food, exercise, and lifestyle. The research survey was carried out in the form of a questionnaire. Quality of life and other variables were measured on the Cantril scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: The authors assume that students, as a demographic category, are most open to adopting new forms of lifestyle. Quality of life is measured on a scale from 0 to 10. All measurements, separately for men and women, have revealed that college students live eudaimonically with varying degrees of eudaimonia. Conclusion: The article is the result of an attempt to apply a geographical approach to the hedonistic- eudaimonic differentiation of Slovakia in terms of quality of life. Findings based on measurements of quality of life, food, exercise, and lifestyle serve as an introduction to the exploration of the aforementioned differentiation. The research should be repeated after a period of time, with a focus on all age groups and other demographic categories as well.