Slow living

Slow living in a teahouse in Chongqing, China

Slow living is a lifestyle which encourages a slower approach to aspects of everyday life,^[1] involving completing tasks at a leisurely pace.^[2] The origins of this lifestyle are linked to the Italian slow food movement, which emphasised traditional food production techniques in response to the emerging popularity of fast food during the 1980s and 1990s. The lifestyle and movement were heavily influenced by Carlo Petrini, who founded the organization Slow Food in 1986. The organisation continues to promote local, traditional and high-quality food. The lifestyle Slow living encompasses a wide variety of sub-categories, such as slow money and slow cities,^[3] which are proposed as solutions to the negative environmental consequences of capitalism and consumerism in alignment with the aims of the green movement.

The slow living movement also focuses on the idea that a fast-paced way of living is chaotic, whereas a slower pace encourages enjoyment of life, a deeper appreciation of sensory experiences, and the ability to 'live in the present moment'. However, slow living does not prevent the adoption of certain technologies, such as mobile phones, the Internet, and access to goods and services.^[4][5] For example, #SlowLiving has been used more than six million times on Instagram.^[6]

The backronym "SLOW" is commonly used to summarize the aims of the slow-living lifestyle:^[7]

• S: sustainable,
• L: local (using materials and products that are produced locally),
• O: organic (avoiding things grown or made using toxins or genetically engineered),
• W: whole (not processed).

See also

• Slow movement
• Simple living
• Downshifting (lifestyle)
• Positive psychology
• The good life
• In Praise of Slow
• Mindfulness (psychology)
• Wu-wei
• Slow media
• Cittaslow

References

1. Parkins, Wendy; Craig, Geoffrey (2006). Slow living. Oxford, UK: Berg. ISBN 978-1-84520-160-9.
2. Tam, Daisy (2008). "Slow journeys: What does it mean to go slow?". Food, Culture and Society. 11 (2): 207–218. doi:10.2752/175174408X317570. S2CID 144438405.
3. Tranter, Paul; Tolley, Rodney (2020), "The 'slow paradox': how speed steals our time", Slow Cities, Elsevier, pp. 97–125, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-815316-1.00004-6, ISBN 9780128153161, S2CID 226401781, retrieved 23 March 2022
4. Steager, Tabitha (2009). "Slow living by wendy parkin and geoffrey craig". Food, Culture & Society. 12 (2): 241–243. doi:10.2752/175174409X400774. S2CID 178439297.
5. "What Is Slow Living, and Why Is Everyone Suddenly Using This Term?". Martha Stewart. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
6. "Why 'doing nothing, intentionally' is good for us: The rise of the slow living movement". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
7. Marie, Kate; Thomas, Christopher; Abbey, Kris, Mahony, Ananda (2009). Fast living, slow ageing: How to age less, look great, live longer, get more. Newton, NSW: Mileage Media.

Further reading

• In Praise of Slow: Challenging the Cult of Speed, Carl Honoré, 2004, HarperOne
• Va Bene, Katherine Stirling, The New Yorker, April 7, 2008, Retrieved 1/20/2016