Lifefeeling

Lifefeeling is a term used to describe the subjective sense or felt quality of being alive. It refers to the holistic experience of life as felt in body and mind, including affect, thoughts, intentions, and how one engages with the world. Lifefeeling is not limited to a single emotion but denotes the overall felt vitality of existence.

Origin and usage: The expression is a contemporary coinage found in philosophy, psychology, and cultural studies to capture a pre-reflective sense of life. It is often used descriptively rather than as a fixed scientific category, with definitions varying by discipline.

Conceptual scope: Lifefeeling integrates embodied sensation, affect, cognition, and temporality. It is related to, yet distinct from, mood, flow, or well-being; lifefeeling emphasizes a continuous, lived sense of being in the world, including meaning and agency. In phenomenology, it is tied to the lived body; in positive psychology, it intersects with vitality and meaning.

Measurement and research: The concept is usually explored through qualitative methods and self-report. When operationalized, researchers may use scales for vitality, life satisfaction, or meaning, but lifefeeling is often treated as a holistic experience rather than a single construct.

Applications and critique: Lifefeeling informs psychotherapy, coaching, and design by focusing on the quality of lived experience. Critics note its vagueness and cultural variability, and call for clearer definitions and cross-cultural validation.

See also: phenomenology, well-being, vitality, meaning in life.