COVID-19 & New Wellness Habits: The Boom in Cycling

The pandemic brings many positive domino effects. Habit formation will become an important part of the economic story of COVID-19. Four to five months is long enough to get into a new routine, and it is likely that WFH (working from home), outdoor exercise, more home cooking, and many other COVID-related types of behavior will persist beyond the direct pandemic period: habits once adopted tend…

Shorter Work Week Concept Gains Steam with COVID-19

Employment is one of the most important determinants of wellbeing, and conversely, unemployment has a strong deleterious effect on our wellbeing (studies examining mental health during lockdown conclude that those forced to leave paid work suffered much more than those who remained fully or partially employed or were furloughed). The repercussions of unemployment go well beyond the loss of income. It affects not only the…

Surprising COVID-19 Outcome: New Sugar Taxes in the UK (Led by Boris Johnson)

A surprising winner of the pandemic might be a sugar tax in the UK.  Several articles in the British media suggest that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now convinced that being overweight was a decisive factor in the severity of the COVID-19 he suffered, and that led him to an intensive-care unit. This observation linking excess weight with an aggravated condition of COVID-19 sufferers is…

Accelerating Wellness Trends: “Digital Everything,” Even Less Meat, Functional and Immunity-Focused Foods

“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”—although an overused quote during the pandemic, COVID-19 has proven Lenin right. It’s been and will continue to be a formidable accelerator and catalyst of existing trends. Here are several trends in the wellness space being fed by systemic connectivity. One overarching trend that will enormously benefit wellbeing in the post-pandemic era: COVID-19…

The New Frugal, Anti-Consumerist Ethic & the Wellness Industry

MONTHLY BAROMETER: It is the younger generation entering the labor market today that will feel the effect of the current crisis for decades to come. Study after study shows that it should expect lower employment rates, lower incomes and greater social problems (including more divorce and more premature deaths). This translates into palpable consequences for businesses and investors. One illustration: Over the past weeks, Chinese…

Post-Pandemic Paradox: Wellness Becomes More Important, but in Less Marketable Ways?

MONTHLY BAROMETER The slow and grinding economic recovery will be characterized by three prominent features. (1) Much more debt, which will trigger redistribution reforms (mainly through higher taxation) similar to those put into place during the Great Depression and WWII when the top marginal tax rate went above 80 percent in several countries like the US. It will also lead to financial repression. (2) Less…