Approaching Culinary Eudemonia: Exploring Relationships Between Culinary Agency and Subjective Wellbeing Using Survey Methodology

Cooking, as a human universal behaviour, engages biological, psychological, and social processes. Despite this, few studies have examined the potential relationship between cooking as a psychosocial behaviour with subjective wellbeing (SWB). This study investigates the concept of Culinary Eudemonia (CE) by exploring the relationship between Culinary Agency (CA) and SWB. Utilizing survey methodology, 83 participants completed a 43-item, self-report questionnaire. We measured CA through three sub scales conceptualized as Culinary Self-Efficacy (CSE), Attitudes toward Cooking (ATC), and Socio-Structural Barriers (SSB). While CSE, ATC, and SSB did not individually correlate significantly with SWB, collectively, CA emerged as a significant predictor of SWB (p = ≤ 0.05), with ATC demonstrating the strongest relationship (β = .249). Further analysis revealed gender differences, with CSE significantly predicting SWB for females (β = .287). These findings suggest a positive association between cooking and SWB, underscoring the importance of future research using rigorous methodologies to explore the potential components and mechanisms pertaining to CE.