The continent where wellness is flourishing the most is Asia. There, three long-term trends fuel the demand for wellness: (1) the rising prevalence of chronic lifestyle diseases, (2) intensely aging populations, and (3) rising incomes (a major boost that explains why Asia is playing “wellness catch-up” with the West). According to the ADB (Asian Development Bank), wellness—defined with the GWI as the active pursuit of…
In the immediate post-COVID era, the world will be collectively poorer—explicable by simple arithmetic: In the first three quarters of this year, the income earned by workers around the world fell by more than 10%—a loss caused by the pandemic equivalent to more than $3.5 trillion, or 5.5% of global GDP. Notably, this doesn’t yet take into account the mass lay-offs that are looming (like…
Culture—a defining element for containing the pandemic—explains why East Asian nations (where community acts as a collective agent for the common good) have done much better than individualistic countries characterized by a “to each his/her own” mentality. The reason is the following: the lower the level of social cohesion (or the higher the level of social inequality), the stronger the incentive for individuals to compete…
“What’s nurtured slowly grows well.”—author Haruki Murakami Wherever you are on our planet, happy November! We’ve traveled a journey together for almost a year, exploring the qualities of effective wellness leadership. When we look back on 2020, we’ll always remember the global pandemic, social unrest, economic strife, climate challenges and other major issues we’ve faced together. We’ll also remember this year as the time when…
A majority of scientists and pundits now predict that COVID-19 will be with us well into 2021. Its enduring presence is psychologically taxing, and anxiety is an ever more permanent feature of our lives. It creates stress, which in turn constrains our ability to make the right decisions. It also narrows the range of options we are capable of considering when making a decision. In…
Persistent infections mean that the bifurcation of the global economy will accentuate, making the rebound ever more asymmetric. First, the largest companies will continue to do better than the small ones. Second, those sectors and industries with wind in their sails (like e-commerce and tech) will thrive, while for those already hit hard (like travel and tourism), the decimation will continue. In the coming months,…
