Two recent studies show the impact that walking speed can have on people’s health. A French study in the British Medical Journal (tracking 3,000+ older people for five years) found that people with the slowest walking speed had a significantly increased risk of death compared to those who walked the fastest—including a threefold increased rate of cardiovascular death. A new clinical trial from the University…
Defining Mental Wellness Mental wellness is a term that is increasingly used in the popular lexicon, but it is vague and not well-understood. People associate mental wellness with many different types of activities: meditating, listening to music, talking to a friend, taking a walk in nature, taking a vacation, getting a massage, taking a bubble bath, squeezing a stress ball, or just carving out some…
A new study from the University of Graz (Austria) found a direct link between everyday physical activity (simple walking or moderate exercise) and greater creativity and inventiveness. The researchers found that active people came up with significantly more—and more innovative—ideas during tests (whether conceiving of new usages for an umbrella or finishing partial drawings) than sedentary people. ACCESS STUDY
With all the challenges of the last year, the mindset of the economic profession has shifted, with a flurry of research papers pointing to the vital importance of social capital. Notions like trust, state capacity, community-building, social cohesion, and social values like empathy and altruism are now seen as a prerequisite for prosperity and welfare. All these social values and other notions pertaining to social…
The dominant narrative about China’s growth (“the only major economy currently growing”) is misleading. China’s GDP rose by 6.5% in Q4 2020 only because the authorities decided it would. In their bid to reach this target, China’s government has moved in areas that previously, for the purpose of rebalancing growth, they were keen to abandon: industrial production, real estate and net exports. Meanwhile, consumption—which the…
Honoring Black Wellness History: The Plants of Black Freedom with Leah Penniman In the GWS 2021 Wellness Trends Report’s “Adding Color to Wellness,” Global Wellness Institute Research Fellow Tonia Callender stated, “The wellness industry does not value Black wellness. Mainstream wellness companies ignore Black wellness consumers and rarely market to them.” These can be hard words to hear, but far too often in the wellness…
