Heat Therapy May Lead to Better Outcomes in Treating Depression than Cold Exposure

A new study from the University of California San Francisco (20,000 participants in 106 countries) found that people with depression have higher body temperatures. The researchers believe these findings indicate the potential for depression treatments focused on lowering body temperature—and ironically, how temporarily heating people up (hot yoga, saunas, infrared saunas, hot water treatments), could lead to rebound body temperature lowering that lasts longer than…

Research in Action: Global Wellness Economy Data Powers Japan Roundtable on Wellness Tourism

Research in Action: Global Wellness Economy Data Powers Japan Roundtable on Wellness Tourism  In November 2023, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) released data for Japan’s wellness economy and its 11 sectors, under GWI’s Geography of Wellness program. A coalition of public-private leaders in the Fukui Prefecture leveraged that important data to kick off a region-wide wellness tourism promotion effort. On November 11, 2023, the region…

Younger Gens Experiencing “Money Dysmorphia”—A Distorted View of Their Financial Wellbeing

Younger Gens Experiencing “Money Dysmorphia”—A Distorted View of Their Financial Wellbeing    By Thierry Malleret, economist   A recent survey (conducted in the US) warns that almost half of Gen Z and millennials (respectively 43% and 41%) experience “money dysmorphia”, the situation when people feel insecure about their financial standing irrespective of the reality of their financial situation. This corresponds to today’s version of keeping up with…

GWI’s New Report Ranks the Wellness Economies of 145 Countries

GWI’s New Report Ranks the Wellness Economies of 145 Countries   In January 2024, GWI released its latest data report, The Global Wellness Economy: Country Rankings (2019-2022). A companion to GWI’s flagship report, the Global Wellness Economy Monitor, this new report is the only place to find detailed data on the size and growth of the wellness industry at the country level. In addition to providing…

“Sleep Regularity” Matters More Than How Long You Sleep

Sleep science has long focused on the number of hours, and how that impacts health and lifespan. But a 2023 study from Harvard and Monash University researchers found that going to bed and waking up at consistent times with few mid-slumber interruptions matters even more than how long you sleep. Sleeping six hours every night on a consistent schedule was associated with a lower risk of…

The Climate Crisis’s Toll on Mental Wellbeing

The Climate Crisis’s Toll on Mental Wellbeing By Thierry Malleret, economist The science of climate psychology (the climate crisis’s impact on mental wellbeing) goes back roughly 15 years. There is fast-rising global evidence that it dramatically increases anxiety, stress and depression, and that humans as a species now live in a state of increasing “systemic uncertainty,” a psychological condition that takes a huge toll on…