The Salutogenic Effect or Salutogenesis is a term developed by Aaron Antonovsky, a professor of medical sociology. His focus was on the factors that support human health and well-being rather than on the causes of disease. Salutogenesis is the ‘uplifting effect’ of a health behaviour or lifestyle intervention – it could be as simple as the response of the organism to an improved breathing pattern.
It is noteworthy that his vision has been embraced most strongly by governments and health institutions in Latin American and Scandinavia. Globally these ‘cultural zones’ are regarded as having some of the most progressive and preventative systems of health care. This is reflected in the biomedical literature of these countries which indicates a stronger emphasis on good quality clinical studies into low-tech lifestyle interventions.
FEATURED IMAGE:
M. Roy et al. The relevance of positive approaches to health for patient-centred care medicine (2015).