Workplace Wellness Is Unwell—Companies Must Refocus on Fair Pay and Livable Hours By Thierry Malleret, economist In 2022, $51 billion was spent globally on workplace wellness programs (according to the GWI, in measures ranging from apps to counseling). Yet, the global workforce seems never to have been so unhappy, unhealthy, and unwell. According to a recent Gallup report, employees’ stress has reached unprecedented levels, with…
Research Dive: Per Capita Spending on Wellness Around the World GWI’s 2024 report, The Global Wellness Economy: Country Rankings (2019-2022), provides two different sets of country rankings. When we look at overall wellness economy size, the countries that come out on top tend to be countries with very large overall economies and populations: the United States, China, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. However, when we…
Work Stress Linked to 97% Increased Risk of Irregular Heart Rhythm (AFib) A 2024 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that adults in white-collar jobs with high job strain and for whom significant efforts are met with low rewards (such as low salary or recognition) may face a 97% increased risk for developing the irregular heart rhythm condition known as atrial fibrillation…
Waking Up to the Impact of Extreme Heat on Our Mental Health By Thierry Malleret, economist At the end of July, global temperatures reached their highest level ever in recorded history. Coming years look to be even hotter. Climate risk being the “mother” of all risks, every single corner of the wellness industry will be affected by it. One new dimension that scientists are just…
Lancet Report: “Megatrends” Are Taking Major Toll on Youth Mental Health; Policy Action Needed Climate, technology and economic issues are leading to high levels of anxiety and depression, and rising rates of self-harm and suicide among adolescents and young adults. The researchers argue for more wellness policy action. By Tonia Callendar, GWI research fellow Declining youth mental health has been a global concern for some…
Psilocybin Causes “Massive Changes” in the Network of Neurons in the Brain A small 2024 study from Washington University School of Medicine revealed huge changes in the brain-network patterns of study participants that took a large dose of psilocybin. The effects were so strong that Shan Siddiqi, psychiatric neuroscientist at Harvard School of Medicine, explained that their neural patterns “resembled those of a different person entirely.” Seven…
