In this section, the balance dimensions of action and body will be addressed.
Subjectivized self, objectification, sobjectification: a balance in using or objectifying oneself as an instrument without becoming merely an instrument for oneself and others, while simultaneously strengthening one’s subjectivity.
Culturalized naturalness: cultural technologies and dispositions that support human genetics and brain plasticity for the good life, and are adapted to the variation in bodily functions. Conversely, the biological should support cultural expressions that unlock human potential.
Conduct sociological behavioral experiments. Behavioral experiments are a practice advocated by the Stoics as a way to train oneself to handle various events before they occur; for example, one experiment involved living in poverty for a month (Hadot, 2015). The effect was intended to foster greater calm in the face of the future. Behavioral experiments were incorporated into CBT as a form of training and testing to challenge thought patterns that might otherwise develop without being tested against reality. Exposure therapy is a form that has proven effective many times for various phobias. An experimental approach to the world is also, in itself, something that certain sociologists believe is important to adopt. Jane Addams was an example of someone who lived an experimental life (Trost & Levin, 2010). Garfinkel, through “breaching experiments,” brought to light microsociological aspects of everyday interactions that we take for granted (1967). When we adopt an experimental and exploratory approach to social life, we open ourselves up to the opportunity to learn from both successes and mistakes. This reduces the pressure to get things right immediately. Through sociological behavioral experiments, we can test social situations to learn that they are often different from what we assume. Close engagement with the concepts we hold allows us to refine our understanding of the social world in which we are embedded.
See yourself as a critical cyborg. Viewing oneself as a cyborg means recognizing that one’s agency and cognition are distributed across various technologies surrounding us: technical technologies (cell phones, computers), cultural technologies (the alphabet, rituals), materialities, and socialities. With a “membrane self” (Berglund, 2026), the self can be viewed as porous yet still maintaining a distinction between the outside and the inside. Technologies can be internalized or externalized. As a cyborg, it is possible to view the world around you as tools that can support the good life. Actants are objects that do something or “mediate” a subject, or an assemblage (Callon & Latour, 1981; Latour, 1999). What actants surround the individual? A dominant actant that also serves as a medium for contact with other actors is the cell phone. What effect does it have? This analysis could also be called an artifact analysis, as the focus is on how objects have been socially charged and mediate the social in some way. This has become a cultural fixation, particularly in how we deal with various actants, primarily technology and, above all, the cell phone. A fundamental and common actant analysis of the cell phone is that it currently has a negative impact on our lives. Randall Collins’ theory views social interactions on the internet as lacking certain qualities compared to real, life encounters, which means we do not potentially receive the same emotional energy (Collins, 2004). A related concept is Goffman’s notion of “props” in his dramaturgical theory of “ .” Props, in this context, refer to various objects used to create a presentation of the self (1959).
“Technosocialities” is a concept designed to capture how different technologies are always social, inherently socially embedded, socially interpreted, and having social effects and causes (Latour, 2005; Airoldi, 2022). Technosocialities are closely related to the concept of the actant, but here technosocialities lack agency, only humans are assumed to have agency, as objects cannot act upon humans. For the critical cyborg, technosocialities are something used in balance, such that different technosocialities, technologies, do not take over, objectify, or diminish autonomy, thereby rendering the technology heteronomous. The technologies that surround us can become something that integrates harmoniously into the cyborg; they can also become something that takes over and begins to dominate values.
Utilize stored socialities. Within these various balances, there are insights stored in books, infrastructure, art, artifacts, or even other people that can be utilized. It is this stored sociality that can be utilized and become part of the subject’s social landscape. To engage with stored sociality, one must understand what it means and what it can mean. Books such as Deep Work (Newport, 2016) and Peak (Ericsson & Pool, 2016) represent stored sociality that can support the individual in achieving deep focus and purposeful training.
A focus on being and doing rather than having. Eric Fromm argues that we have become too focused on having, on owning things and even relationships. We have love; we have friends. Fromm argues, for example, that love is a practice, not something one has. He writes:
“Love isn’t something natural. Rather, it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and the overcoming of narcissism. It isn’t a feeling; it is a practice.”
“Love is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision?”
We can certainly say that love as a feeling is important as well, but Fromm’s point is crucial: we should not rely solely on an excessive focus on whether it “feels” right or “authentic.”
Self-socialization or self-restructuring: Foucault moved from declaring the subject dead beyond discourse at the beginning of his career, but rediscovered it toward the end in the idea that our self can be “authored” by us, and that we can “produce” ourselves as an art of living, with reference to Nietzsche and ancient philosophies, in a “care of the self.” Individuals can “cultivate” themselves through the “arts of existence,” which can serve as a foundation for resistance (Danaher et al., 2000 in Webb, 2019, 144). Bourdieu’s “self, fashioning” also opens up the possibility of creating change (Webb, 2019). This can be done by reading about people you aspire to be like. You learn about their lives to influence chains of thought that allow you to influence chains of interaction, making them more like those you read about. These can be books, magazines, or movies. You can ask yourself questions such as: Who do you surround yourself with? What kind of people are they? What kinds of interactions take place there? Does it give you emotional energy (Collins, 2004)? Based on these questions, you can try to seek out new people and new environments that can provide more emotional energy, or spend time with people who give you energy. Some social encounters are so powerful that they are transformative (Rosa, 2019; Collins, 2004). These can include parties (Goffman, 2015), lectures, workshops, and other activities where people have a lot of energy.
Don’t wait for permission to act. The existential sociologist Touraine argues that the concept of the subject should be defined as the individual’s will or attempt to become an agent, where the subject becomes a resistance, a negation that is always present to a greater or lesser extent (Paulsen, 2013, 21). Nietzsche, as quoted above, noted that for many people, “the permission to act comes too late” in their lives, causing them to underestimate the agency that existed within themselves had they participated in society in the right way. Agency can be routinized and trained like anything else. Small choices that build a routine around having more autonomy in one’s life. Agency and daring can be turned into a habit through small choices that demonstrate agency, even if it is always partial.
The Renaissance Man. For Mills, the Renaissance Man is the antithesis of the “cheerful robot” who is content with his oppression and conformity (1959). In contrast, the Renaissance Man is someone who can do many different things and wants to develop his full potential across multiple fields, rather than being a wage slave. Cultivating new and diverse interests, as well as multiple connections to the world, can build a subjectivity that is more original and whole. This stands in contrast to a trend toward overspecialization, for example, the identity of a “nerd” who focuses solely on their own hobby and forgets the world outside.
Examine discourses and technologies. Choose a discourse and learn about it. This serves as a way to strengthen your sociological imagination regarding how discourses influence you and others. Discourses are one layer among many in constructing a holistic picture. Fairclough’s discourse analysis is helpful through his “language critique,” which aims to foster change in discursive practices (2010). Discourse analysis can include aspects such as defamilarization, relativization, deconstruction, and historicization to challenge the power that discourses may hold if they are taken for granted.These discourses can affect individuals to varying degrees and be reified to varying extents. Discourse analysis and discourse exercises are ways to externalize discourse so that it can be viewed more clearly as part of the social realm, rather than as a reified part of the self. Discourse analysis can be linked to Collins’s theory of chains of thought (2004). The aim is for new discourses to create new chains of thought that support change. Discourse analysis can also be linked to analyzing a part of a person’s habitus that consists of various discourses. Discourse analyses of how problems are framed: what, who, how, and why are problems produced and reproduced in discourse? With greater awareness of different discourses, one can relate to them more consciously and choose which ones to engage with more deeply and internalize more strongly.
What is your subject position, how can you, guided by curiosity, create new identities? Identify the different subject positions you adopt. Try assuming a subject position you’d like to have for a short period of time. Jonsson (2015) shows that people can often assume several different subject positions as a way to cope with life’s challenges, such as being racialized.
Streamline your life with caution. Streamlining can manifest as time intensification, where you try to cram more into a short period of time with the idea that it will lead to greater enjoyment, but instead leads to more stress (Wajcman, 2015). Some attempts at efficiency can lead to a detour if efficiency becomes an end in itself, a fully “optimized” day that feels more like a constant job or project, as opposed to a life one gets to experience as a subject.
Setting Goals: Durkheim (1950) highlights the importance of having some goals when he writes: “One does not advance when one walks toward no goal, or, which is the same thing, when one’s goal is infinity.” The key is that, as with efficiency, the goal must not come to dominate one’s life. This can lead to weighing one’s life against a goal one has set for oneself, a goal one constantly strives toward without ever reaching it.
A balanced “technology diet.” In today’s technology, driven society and culture (Postman, 1991), most people are heavy users of various technologies such as cell phones, computers, and television. This leaves too little room for in, person encounters that can provide emotional energy (Collins, 2004), human interaction not mediated by technology (Turkle, 2011), or results in people too often falling into “autopilot mode” (Roose, 2023), where they simply go along with what a machine and algorithm do. People become objectified by the algorithm and turn into an “appendage” to it. Furthermore, intensive consumption of technological media should be viewed as a symptom of a lack of sociality. What is missing in your life that makes you unwilling to spend more time interacting with other people? McLuhan wrote:
The huge vortices of energy created by our media present us with similar possibilities for evading the consequences of destruction. By studying the pattern of the effects of this huge vortex of energy in which we are involved, it may be possible to devise a strategy for evasion and survival.
Cultural technologies. Humans have limited memory. This means we easily forget insights and lessons learned. Our thought processes can easily become repetitive if we do not systematize our reflections in some way. Mantras have been central to religion, practical philosophies such as Epicureanism and Stoicism, and various therapies. Mantras are also part of how communities pass down wisdom through generations. Mantras serve to create flexibility and maintain momentum. Quotes from films, poetry, fiction, thinkers, philosophers, and sociologists. Based on ABT, these quotes can be linked to different balances, where the purpose of the quotes is to increase the chance of restoring balance. For example, quotes about adventure for the overly routine, bound person, or quotes about citizenship and duty for the person stuck in a personal struggle.
Re, objectification: People are, in and of themselves, always objects, but we have some influence over how we are objects to ourselves and others. Should you be a tool solely for the gaze of others, or should you be a tool for your own, and others’, pursuit and creation of the good life? How can you be a tool for a greater adventure, for meaning, for flourishing? How can your body and mind be used to help others, where happiness and wonder can be byproducts? How can you use yourself as a tool that enhances your subjectivity and strengthens your identity as a subject with agency? One example is developing various types of competencies (Sennett, 2013) that expand your range of possibilities for how you can help others.
Identify how you are being used as a tool, that is, objectified. What should you do with that insight? It can be channeled into political resistance so that your subjectivity, arising from having been objectified, is linked to a civic and heroic dimension.
How have you objectified others? How has that affected that person’s subjectivity, and how has it affected your own subjectivity? The objectification of others damages our own subjectivity; it narrows what life can be, because it makes us more lonely, since instead of being surrounded by people, we are surrounded by tools for our own self, interest.
Have you killed yourself as a subject? Can you begin to be the “author” of your own subjectivity again, and of yourself as a subject? Have discourses, people, or power structures defined your subjectivity?
Subjectivity Exercises: What is your experience? What is your perspective? Write down your thoughts and reflect on your own subjectivity, which can easily be forgotten in mass societies. Engage with others’ subjectivities to gain perspectives on your own subjectivity. This can be done through literature and other forms of culture. More complex cultures are often better at capturing the subjectivity of others. Our own subjectivity can also grow with an increased moral imagination toward others.
The mind must be given relaxation, it will emerge improved and sharper after a good break. Just as rich fields must not be overworked, for they will quickly lose their fertility if never given a break, so constant work on the anvil will fracture the power of the mind. Epictetus
“Many felt a profound malaise at the idea that the sources of benevolence should be merely enlightened self, interest, or simply feelings of sympathy. This seemed to neglect entirely the human power of self, transcendence, the capacity to go beyond self, centered desire altogether and follow a higher aspiration.”, Charles Taylor, A Secular Age
Pleasure can also become punishment
“Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act.”, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Happiness is a byproduct of function, purpose, and conflict; those who seek happiness for its own sake seek victory without war. William Burroughs
“The secret to reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from existence is: to live dangerously!” Nietzsche
“Dostoevsky once said, ‘There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.’ These words frequently came to mind after I became acquainted with those martyrs whose behavior in the camp, whose suffering and death, bore witness to the fact that the last inner freedom cannot be lost. It can be said that they were worthy of their sufferings; the way they bore their suffering was a genuine inner achievement. It is this spiritual freedom, which cannot be taken away, that makes life meaningful and purposeful. - Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
“I care not where my body may take me as long as my soul is embarked on a meaningful journey.” Dante
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe around us, the less appetite we shall have for destruction.” Rachel Carson
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, so that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of beauty that God has implanted in the human soul.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
In this section, the dimensions of balance, meaning and flourishing, will be discussed.
Meaning: Rational enchantment: a balance between the search for truth and, at the same time, the quest to enchant one’s existence.
Flourishing: Eudaimonic hedonism: feelings of happiness of various kinds that primarily arise as a byproduct of an ethical life, but sometimes also simple pleasures that are not connected to an optimally moral life.
Eudaimonize life. When many people live lives trapped in depressive hedonism (Fisher, 2011), the remedy is to fill one’s life with more practices grounded in moral conduct. Several approaches have been discussed above, such as centering civic struggle and adventure to connect with a heroic dimension. The eudaimonization of life also occurs by reflecting on one’s life through moral concepts such as various principles and virtues. Hedonistic happiness, such as contentment and pleasure, is viewed primarily as a byproduct of the ethical life. Aristotle, for example, argued that there is pleasure in the practice of a virtue (1998). By striving toward goals that are deeply meaningful to oneself and others, one can be drawn into adventures that bring excitement, flow, emotional energy, and the pleasure of feeling increased competence and being able to handle various challenges. The happiness derived from caring for other people, nature, and animals lays the foundation for a deeper connection, which in itself brings people joy. By centering our lives on moral conduct, we’ll have the opportunity to connect with others more honestly. We interact with others to help one another, in contrast to being oriented toward a narrow self, interest that can easily lead us to experience many aspects of our lives, including relationships, as instrumentalized and therefore devoid of meaning.
Practice by performing small actions grounded in a moral way of life, as opposed to lifestyle, self, interest, status, or happiness. Then fill your life with more and more of these actions. It is important not to take on challenges that are too great, as this can lead to eudaimonic depression (Berglund, 2026), the feeling of being unable to live up to our moral ideals or of not even being on the path toward a more moral life.
Seek out pain that is meaningful through the civic struggle. Pain is inevitable. You can control where it comes from. Do something uncomfortable for yourself every day. Painful enjoyment is a higher state of balance in which one has realized that pain and suffering are inevitable, but that this pain finds meaning in civic struggle and that enjoyment is linked to civic struggle, in contrast to meaningless hedonism in the private struggle, or pain that is not utilized or part of a struggle leading to higher levels; it is a pain that instead diminishes life. This balance is found in experiences such as “flow,” where one can push oneself to the limit while climbing a mountain and at the same time feel most alive (Cikzsentmihaly, 1990). Nietzsche’s view of pain is inspiring here in that he argues we should use all emotions to direct ourselves toward higher purposes; pain comes no matter which path we choose, so we must choose the path where we strive toward goals beyond ourselves. If you try to turn away from this perspective and avoid becoming a hero, we die as cowards instead, for example, from the moral wounds we inflict upon ourselves when we stand by and watch the suffering and injustices of others in the world, or because escapism from pain leads us to an excess of pleasure to which we eventually become accustomed; in the most extreme cases, various types of drugs. Engaging with people and ideas while simultaneously trying to solve various problems and create value in different ways. This can be seen as a Nietzschean view of emotions, whether negative or positive, based on how they feel in terms of pain and pleasure, is important. Nietzsche wants us to feel the weight of the world because it gives us the most, not because it makes us happier. Nietzsche wrote, as he often did, in a mocking tone that those who seek only happiness will never attain it. Nietzsche wrote that happiness and unhappiness are like twins and grow in strength. That is the life he envisions. Nietzsche developed an ability and a philosophy for making use of what we might interpret as “negative emotions,” recognizing that there was a power within them that we could harness. They write that suffering can guide us, sharpening our awareness of what is good, the opportunities we actually have. The opposite, desperately seeking happiness and thereby creating pain, is an imbalance. This is linked to imbalances such as the “wellness syndrome,” which includes, for example, the “happiness imperative” (Cederström & Spicer, 2015).
Hedonizing life. Another way to describe imbalance in the flourishing dimension is that people can be consumed by desire (Sennet, 2002; Durkheim, 1950), while others lead an almost anhedonic life, filled with a lack of pleasurable experiences or emotions altogether. This anhedonia can arise, for example, due to a high degree of monotony in life or a job where one is treated as a role rather than as a human being (Asplund, 1987). Hedonism as an ethical perspective advocates long, term happiness as a goal. Epicurus argues that one should simplify life and step away from status struggles and attempts to become rich. These attempts lead to more problems. Epicurus was also aware that to maximize happiness, we often need to practice moderation in the short term, since too much pleasure in the present can become addictive.
Incorporate moderate pleasures that can grow over time. Good and wholesome food, experiences in nature where you are open to the profound experiences and wonder they offer, active play, reading, learning activities, discussions, creativity, and so on.
Make room for peak experiences and ecstasy. This can take the form of carnival, like celebrations, humor, curiosity, wonder, encounters with other people, pushing oneself to one’s absolute limit, deep work, flow, and playfulness.
Break through pain. We may experience various painful emotions. Often, these can linger longer or feel particularly intense if we don’t switch activities. Ways to partially or completely break through pain include taking a warm shower, swimming in a lake, going for a walk, exercising, playing, and so on. There’s often nothing to be gained from staying stuck in a painful experience. If the pain can be reduced in intensity, it often helps us have more positive thoughts. Nietzsche, for example, wrote that we shouldn’t trust the thoughts we have indoors, as an argument for spending more time in nature.
Deep rest and genuine leisure time. Deep rest is not passive rest; rather, it is often linked to activities such as conversations, spending time in nature, swimming, eating, parties, yoga, mindfulness, gardening, and so on. Much of our leisure time can be filled with “shadow work” (Illich, 1984), such as commuting to and from work, or with activities and relationships that we don’t truly enjoy. Here, one should be cautious, because in mass society, the difficulty of maintaining a friendship often stems from living far apart, which requires planning. There may also be an expectation that one should meet with one friend at a time, which makes it difficult to keep up if one has several friends.
Passive effort. The more of our lives that are filled with passive effort, the less energy we have for effort that is simply strenuous. Restful effort also reduces the desire for passive rest, which can easily turn into exhausting rest filled with procrastination, endless scrolling, and short, term pleasure. Activities that give us emotional energy are also examples of restful effort, because the effort provides us with more emotional energy afterward. Two examples are the effort of attending a party or a research conference, which is exhausting but can afterward provide the energy to work on something one considers meaningful. Even physical exertion spread out throughout the day creates a sense of rest, since lethargy and fatigue are less pronounced.
Inhaling and exhaling. Rest and leisure represent another perspective on freedom, a more hedonistic version of freedom. Rest and leisure can only be part of freedom if they arise in contrast to a life of work as well. Rest as freedom serves as a contrast and balance to freedom as striving, to being dominated, and to self, determination as a project. Resilience means that we become stronger and less fragile through challenges; the effort involved in rest makes us stronger afterward (Taleb, 2012). After the effort of sacrificing ourselves, taking risks, and fighting for others, we can rest in a state of moral rest and security.
Seek flow. Flow is a psychological concept that has been studied primarily by psychologists, though sociologists of emotion have also researched how flow and stress affect people (Wettergren, 2013, 65). Flow is an example of a high balance of effortless effort; we exert ourselves but feel light and can gain energy because we let go of our focus on the self and other things for a moment.
Sprettzatura. Laziness can also be a form of simplified complexity and effortless effort. We do not take on unnecessary tasks; it is a form of sprettzatura (simplicity) to choose our battles and conserve our energy (Taleb, 2012).
Be aware of your “wealth of desires” and how it affects your sense of happiness. Nordenfelt distinguishes between happiness and the sense of happiness, defining happiness as “a balance between desires and an insight or belief that these are fulfilled” (2004, 52). This balance creates a predisposition to experience the feeling of happiness, which can be triggered, for example, when a person consciously focuses their attention on the balance, which is what distinguishes the feeling of happiness from other feelings of well, being (Nordenfelt, 2004, 52). Nordenfelt discusses how optimal quality of life is achieved and introduces the concept of the “dimension of richness” (2004, 59). The degree of desires can be increased, creating greater richness in happiness, that is, more desires are fulfilled (2004, 62). The more and the greater one’s desires, the more difficult it can be to fulfill them. Therefore, it is important to cultivate a “wealth of desires.” This allows one to become more flexible about what can bring happiness. For example, there are very inexpensive things one can wish for, such as more time in nature. Getting out into nature is often simple, making it easier to experience a sense of happiness. This is especially important if you internalize this book’s message that happiness primarily comes as a byproduct of ethical actions, as Aristotle argued. To avoid falling into depressive eudonomism, we need to cultivate habits of hedonism that are long, term and sustainable. Spending time in nature, being with friends, and engaging with culture and art are examples of this.
Increase a sense of meaning (Berglund, 2026). What is your purpose in life? Are there several different purposes? Is there a larger one that connects them? Is your life devoid of meaning? Use that feeling of meaninglessness to build meaning. Those with a low sense of meaning will miss out on various dimensions of a good life because, for example, they desire only wealth, pleasure, or simply “to be left in peace.” Part of increasing one’s sense of meaning involves embracing its opposite, an acceptance of meaninglessness. It is something that is always part of being human, but it is possible to strive toward higher levels of meaninglessness; the meaninglessness of a life where one did not help either oneself or anyone else is greater than that of a life where one tries to work toward a common good. So seek meaning, but not too hard, because the search for absolute meaning will always leave one somewhat alienated, since there seem to be no definitive answers. However, one can continue to try to answer the question of life’s meaning as rationally as possible, which leads to the certainty that life should not be used to harm others, but rather exists within a caring perspective grounded in moral action. We can thus increase our sensitivity to what meaning might be without arriving at a definitive answer to the question.
Re, enchant life. To make life more rational, one can work on the exercises in the dimension of wisdom, but those who live a disenchanted life need to re, enchant it. Things that can strip life of its enchantment include too much work that has become “jobified” (Berglund, 2026), too much mediation of relationships and experiences through media and technology, nihilism and cynicism, depression and anxiety, resignation and fatalism. Practices that can re, enchant include nature; social gatherings, often with several people in the same place to increase the chance of collective elation (Collins, 2004); creativity; rhythmic movement with others, such as dance and yoga; the creation of culture; cultivating and pursuing a curiosity for learning, cultivating historical awareness, connecting with a heroic and adventurous dimension, fighting for other people, doing something one considers difficult, forming bonds with some form of system of meaning that one then uses as a springboard to continue exploring what meaning(s) life holds,
Re-enchant/re-sacralize. Choose as consciously and rationally as possible what to enchant. This isn’t entirely possible because there is a dimension to enchantment and the transcendental that lies beyond our control and understanding. The enchantment found in New Age beliefs, fundamentalism, astrology, and angel numbers can be redirected toward a more philosophically and scientifically grounded form of enchantment. Those who are enchanted by celebrities, online drama, and entertainment need to replace the people they are enchanted by. This can be achieved by cultivating virtue in one’s thinking through a curiosity about values (Berglund, 2026) and a curiosity about science (Kahan, 2017). Those enchanted by celebrities crave powerful symbols and narratives. One must recognize that celebrities often do not possess much virtue. It is an exercise in demystifying why they have been elevated as special.
Aestheticizing life as a foundation for the good life. A source of enchantment and rationality lies in how we choose to aestheticize life. Aestheticization is a practice in which we visualize, through forms, symbols, color, and so on, what we value in life. If we incorporate aesthetics into our lives that are too simplistic, we miss the opportunity for our gaze to connect with a more complex life. Nature, books, simplicity, affordability, and a move away from the commodification of the self are some examples of what can aestheticize a good life.
Existential anxiety, synthetic traditions, and rituals. Rituals are practices often used to enchant existence. Rituals can also be incorporated into secular life. Ritualization requires placing importance on a routine, one or more practices, and linking it to a system of meaning. Dinner with the family, debates framed by educational discourse, or celebrations of various kinds. Micro, rituals can be mantras or actions performed at chosen moments to bring one closer to a specific state one wishes to be in (Collins, 2004).
Analyze and transform biosocialities. Biosociality is a concept that captures how the modern self is subjectified as a biological entity, such as the “neurochemical self”, through processes like the “molecularization” and “genification” of the body (Rose, 2007). Based on this research, a somewhat different meaning of biosociality is proposed here. Biosociality occurs when various biological processes interact with social processes, as the human body is inevitably embedded in the social realm. This does not mean that everything is socially constructed, but rather that the social realm always influences the body, and that humans can choose how the social realm should support the body to function optimally in a way that fosters a good life.
Examples of key biosocialities for individuals include pregnancy, eating, sleeping, resting and focusing, exercise, showers and baths, saunas, nature, oxygen, temperature, humidity, drugs, and medication. These can be viewed as biosocialities because they are imbued with and charged by the social. Take biosocialities such as food and eating: food provides the energy needed purely physiologically, which in turn enables social interactions. The type of food matters. Extensive research has been conducted on how class influences food consumption and how this becomes part of a network of interactions with the world that can result in lower energy levels, making it harder to pursue an education or to have the energy to, for example, study after work. Food is a biosociality whose effects can only be understood within the context of this broader structure. Biosocialities are important for socioanalysis because the body, as well as experiences, thoughts, and socialities, are embodied in various ways. If one sleeps poorly, lacks physical activity, or eats poorly, this will trigger certain thought processes in the brain, and these biosocialities are also linked to one’s position within social networks (Christiakis & Fowler, 2009).
The body is of great importance for understanding the social (Turner, 2008). Energy and vitality are aspects that are stratified (Collins, 2004). Much of this depends on n social interactions themselves (Collins, 2004), but bodily functions, such as those of the brain, other organs, muscles, and the skeleton, can have a very significant effect on a person’s life story. The body is a factor in building agency; if one is tired due to poor diet and sleep, it will be more difficult to control one’s life. One’s already limited agency is further diminished. In other words, agency is distributed across the set of bodily habits in which the individual finds themselves.
Below are various exercises to help biosocialities support a good life.
Identify biologization around you. When do perceptions of our biology become limiting? Biologization can occur, for example, in the form of gender with biological sex determinism, or by placing too much emphasis on a psychiatric diagnosis that can become a self, fulfilling prophecy about what one is capable of doing.
Identify cultural disconnection. What practices around you fail to take your body’s physiology into account? The body has a materiality that is not entirely socially constructed and does not need to conform to the society in which one is embedded. Examples of cultural disconnections include: disconnection from nature, poor sleep, constant stress, sensory overload, improper breathing, an unhealthy diet that, for example, does not provide balanced energy, being overweight or underweight, insufficient muscle mass, and too little physical activity. One important form of cultural disconnection is a lack of understanding of how one’s brain functions, which leads to an overconfidence in its ability to guide oneself. If one believes that one’s own brain is highly rational, one will repeatedly make poorer decisions because one does not draw on various cultural technologies and practices to support the brain’s thinking.
Habitus analysis. Society is imprinted on the body and the brain (Bourdieu, 1977; Turner, 1984). Oppression can become ingrained in the body through shame, depression, and a nervous system and amygdala that are hyper, alert to threats. The body may have become accustomed to taking orders and being oppressed. It will therefore feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar when, for example, one resists. A habitus gap can arise when one tries to change one’s life and resist domination of any kind (Friedman, 2016). The symbolic violence (Bourdieu) directed at the individual becomes embedded in the habitus. It takes practice to decide to create a different habitus. To do this, one must first identify one’s current habitus, which feels as natural as water to a fish (Friedman, 2016), and try to change it. Changing one’s habitus requires seeking out new social circles where one can be influenced by others who possess the habitus one wishes to adopt.
Spend more time in nature. Nature offers numerous benefits. It can foster greater vitality, calm, profound experiences, and boundary, pushing experiences (Thurfjell, 2020). It stands in stark contrast to both the physical and digital metropolis, which tend to create overload and lead to an indifferent, blasé attitude (Simmel, 1971). Nature is a place where one can gain a little more distance from the various social circles in which one is embedded, which can make room for reflection. Nature as an activity can also supplant other practices that dominate people’s leisure time, such as entertainment.
Diet. There is a certain level of knowledge among the general population about healthy eating, but it is usually not deep enough, leading people to either eat generally unhealthily or, when they try to eat healthily, to go to extremes in some aspect. Despite all the debate, you can go a long way simply by maintaining a balanced diet that includes protein, fiber, fat, and carbohydrates, while also keeping track of your energy needs. Adjustments may be necessary that can make a big difference, for example, avoiding fruits and vegetables that ferment more vigorously in the gut, or eliminating certain foods such as gluten. Research points to a connection between well, being and gut health that can make a significant difference if you follow a diet that supports healthy gut flora. For many people, eating is something done in a state of stress or solitude. Incorporating meals into a sense of community is a form of biosociality that brings numerous benefits.
Water. Water has historically been a therapeutic practice. Both cold and hot water have therapeutic effects because they can provide both relaxation and stimulation. There’s a lot of hype surrounding cold baths and cold showers, but warm showers, which help create a sense of calm in the body, shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s a habit that brings more enjoyment into your life. This can be combined with dimming the lights in the bathroom to take a break from light and screens.
Physical movement. Most people today move far too little during the day. Doing, for example, 10 squats per hour is something that boosts energy levels and makes them more stable. The body responds by feeling more energized. It isn’t designed to remain still for so long while simultaneously engaging in high cognitive effort. Without that movement, we become unnecessarily drowsy, especially when the food we eat causes our blood sugar to fluctuate. Walking is another activity that can provide time for relaxation while also offering longer periods of movement that support the body. Thinking while moving in nature, as opposed to lying in bed, can have a significant impact on reflection. The cell phone is a device that creates yet another connection to an entertaining lifestyle that can even be enjoyed while lying down, so, called “bedroting.”
Use what you want to keep. Use your brain if you want to retain your cognitive abilities. There is a widespread cultural disconnect in society that the brain does not need to be trained in the same way as muscles and physical fitness. Muscles are more visibly affected if they are not trained than the brain is. Most people train their brains too little and are therefore far below their potential.
Learning about the brain’s biases and pitfalls. Through the field of cognitive sociology, sociology has finally acknowledged that the brain has certain tendencies, something psychological research has long demonstrated. Sociology had previously recognized that humans have pitfalls, of course, by emphasizing how easily people follow the group and how easily our perception of reality can be distorted.