, Author at Global Wellness Institute

Productivity Is Falling Worldwide—Can Yoga Help?

Economist Thierry Malleret takes a look at an odd fact: Despite all the hype about technology and innovation, productivity is stalled, or falling, around the world—with India being one key exception. Critical, disturbing reasons—weak investment and cash hoarding by mega-companies in countries like the U.S.

Shifting to the wellness front, Malleret discusses how many businesses are now scrambling to increase productivity by rolling out employee wellness programs. And yoga is on the rise in those programs because a lot of anecdotal evidence indicates that “it works.”

So what about India and productivity? Malleret argues that any simple idea that India is more productive thanks to yoga is preposterous, but he explains how yoga is not only very much part of India’s cultural DNA but also how the new government is taking action. READ MORE about what India’s new prime minister is doing on the yoga front…making it more a part of “policy.”

Who’s Adding the Most Wellness Trips Each Year? Asia.

According to Global Wellness Institute research, no region is adding more wellness tourism trips each year than Asia-Pacific. The region now drives 152 million wellness trips annually—and is adding an amazing 32 million a year—meaning that Asia-Pacific is fast closing in on current wellness tourism trip leaders, Europe and North America. Read about the region’s powerful wellness tourism growth, and how the top 10 Asian markets stack up.

News: “Why Facebook Is the Junk Food of Socializing”

In this short piece (you can read it in three minutes!), a professor of cognitive science explains that when we interact with “friends” on social networking sites or through texting, “it can feel like we’re getting quality social contact, but we are not.” Research shows face–to–face interaction with other people—real people, right in front of us—is absolutely vital for longevity and happiness. In fact, it is a larger contributor than both exercise and diet.

Mediterranean Diet Helps Mitigate Cognitive Decline, Memory Loss

While there’s much observational evidence that correlates improved mental abilities with healthy dietary practices, a newly released clinical, randomized study provides scientific backup. Sponsored by the Spanish government and conducted by the University of Barcelona over a four–year period on 477 cognitively healthy adults (55–80 years of age) revealed that subjects following a Mediterranean-type diet, supplemented with nuts and olive oil, showed lower rates of decline in cognitive functioning than subjects who followed a simple low-fat diet. Reduced risks of dementia were also noted. Dr. Emilio Ros, who led the study, attributes this in part to the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents found in the supplements that have been long–suspected to improve cognitive abilities

Briefing paper: The Wellness Market in Japan

It’s no surprise technology goes hand-in-hand with most everything in Japan and that includes wellness. Wellness apps, such as yoga and meditation apps, are highly recommended adjuncts to a guest’s wellness program in Japan. And, in anticipation of hosting the 2020 Olympics, has put a sharper focus on wellness tourism, including the country’s extensive hot springs and forests, where stress-relieving forest therapy is growing in popularity.

What’s on My Mind: A Future Trend Getting Ready to Explode

Literally and metaphorically, a light went on for me last week. I had the privilege of attending an event hosted by Lighting Science, a company devoted to marshaling light to work with our bodies, not against them. Fred Masik, the company founder, Dr. Michael Bruce, a sleep expert, and Dr. Smith Johnston, a flight surgeon working with NASA, presented on the panel.