A Fractured Wellness Market: Both Super-Expensive and Free, Simple Wellness Will Rise By Thierry Malleret, economist HIGH-END WELLNESS: WHERE WILL IT END? The most recent Trendium from the GWI’s sister organization, the Global Wellness Summit, is about the post-pandemic surge in “super-expensive wellness”: the seemingly never-ending expansion of very high-priced wellness products and services that benefit the upper decile in terms of income and wealth.…
A small but eye-opening 2022 study in JAMA Psychiatry found that just two doses of psilocybin (along with talk therapy) led to an 83% decline in heavy drinking among participants (who all had alcohol use disorder). Those given a placebo plus talk therapy reduced their alcohol intake by 51%. By the end of the eight-month trial, nearly half of those who received psilocybin had stopped…
The Future of Workplace Wellness: Meaningful Approaches; Less Spending on “Programs” The GWI’s most recent report on the global wellness economy reveals that workplace wellness will be the slowest-growing future wellness category, estimated to expand from $48.5 billion in 2020 to $58.4 billion in 2025–a modest annual growth of 3.8%. Why does growth seem so slow at a time when employees are facing even more…
Trend: The Explosion of Fitness-Meets-Nature-and-Wellness Festivals By Thierry Malleret, economist AN EXPLOSION OF FITNESS and WELLNESS FESTIVALS – We were well aware of book, food, cinema, music and many other breeds of festivals that punctuate the summer months, but we are struck by the recent boom in fitness-meets-wellness festivals, which are on a steep upward path in the Northern Hemisphere. These cool new festivals are,…
A new study in Psychiatry Research indicates that low to moderate levels of stress are good for your brain. “Good” stress levels proved psychologically beneficial, acting as a kind of inoculation against mental health disorders, such as depression and antisocial behavior. They also build resilience to cope with future stressful experiences, and positively impact neurocognitive abilities, from working memory to cognitive flexibility. Access this…
A new study from the University of Southern California indicates that stress–whether from traumatic events, work, or discrimination–speeds up aging in the immune system, which increases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and infection. The researchers measured social stress levels against immune cell counts. People with the highest stress scores had significantly lower percentages of fresh disease fighters and higher percentages of worn-out white blood cells.…
