Cultural shift: Lululemon’s Global Wellness Report finds widespread “wellbeing burnout”–SGB Media
Lululemon’s new, annual Global Wellbeing Report (surveying 16,000 adults in 15 different countries) found a “counterproductive cycle where the relentless pursuit of wellbeing is making us less well.” While 89% of consumers have found more ways to improve overall health and wellness, so has the pressure to maintain the momentum. Nearly two-thirds surveyed struggle with the “growing societal demand to support their wellbeing in specific ways,” causing almost half to experience ‘wellbeing burnout.’” The top pressure points: 61% said they experience overwhelming societal expectations to appear well; 53% said there is an overwhelming amount of conflicting information about the best ways to improve wellbeing; and 89% experiencing “wellbeing burnout” say loneliness contributes.
The world’s population is poised to decline—and that’s great news–Fortune
A great majority of analysts see plunging fertility rates as a calamity. Chandran Nair, founder of the Global Institute for Tomorrow, a Pan-Asian think tank, doesn’t, arguing: “We should see population contraction as a good thing. After all, it is not resulting from our wars, pandemics, or famines. It is driven mainly by human progress: education, awareness, women’s rights, shifting societal values, and the economics of the cost of living.” He argues that, as populations decline and age simultaneously, economies must transition from a quantity-driven growth paradigm to one that values quality of life and rights to basic needs as the most critical indicator of economic success.” Read on to understand his perspective.
Inflammation may be the root of our maladies–The New York Times
Dr. Daniela Lamas, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, explains that the new weight loss drugs are pointing to an emerging cause of so much human disease: inflammation. Inflammation is a necessary evil, the mechanism through which our bodies sound an alarm and protect us from threat. But a growing body of research complicates that understanding. Inflammation is not just a marker of underlying disease but also a driver of it. The more medicine learns about inflammation, the more we’re learning about heart disease and memory loss. With our increasing knowledge of it will come new treatments, new methods of monitoring, new understanding—but we will not rid ourselves of inflammation entirely. We wouldn’t want to.
Expect a vastly different workplace in five years because of the aging population–Fast Company
The aging population will have many needs, and the labor market needs to adapt now. We’re seeing shifts in the workforce influenced by an ever-older population. Requests for more flexible schedules to care for aging family members. Vocal and much needed advocates calling out ageism in the recruitment process. The rise of fractional executives to lead organizational functions. This is not a phase; this will be the new way of working. According to the World Health Organization, one in six people will be 60 or older by 2030. Left unaddressed, these demographic shifts will impact the healthcare system, workplace productivity, and a country’s GDP. Yet from a workplace perspective, there is much that can be done now to prepare for the inevitable changes.
A Striking Stat:
Nearly 40,000 people died alone in their homes in Japan this year and nearly 4,000 were discovered more than a month after they died.
Source: Japan’s National Police Agency, data for first half of 2024
Read more about the country’s growing issue of vast numbers of its aging population living and dying alone.
