Exercise is just as effective as mindfulness at reducing people’s stress and anxiety, a Cambridge study found. The scientists reviewed 136 randomized control trials with 11,000 adult participants from 29 countries. In most cases, mindfulness did positively impact anxiety, stress and depression, but there was no evidence it works better than exercise. ACCESS STUDY
Happier People More Likely to Observe COVID Lockdown Rules
Depending on the level of compliance with social distancing rules, the dark winter of the pandemic may well last beyond the “official’ end of winter (March 20, 2021), which raises an intriguing point about the relationship between wellbeing and the pandemic. It is the following: are happier people more likely to observe COVID lockdown rules? A recent academic paper used three large-scale surveys to investigate whether happier people were…
Natural Capital Will Become Prominent Investment Theme
In 2021, natural capital will become a prominent investment theme. The reasons are twofold. (1) COVID has made us aware of the importance of nature, highlighting how critical it is for our mental and physical health. Thus, the wellbeing of our planet and our own individual wellbeing are seen as two sides of the same coin – investing in the former yields benefits for the latter.…
Wellness Evidence Study: 11 Minutes of Exercise a Day Counters Effects of Sitting; 35 Minutes Is the Sweet Spot
An important new study from global researchers, relying on movement tracking data from tens of thousands of people worldwide, found that people that were the most sedentary were significantly more likely to die young. The good news: It doesn’t take a whole lot of movement to counteract that threat. Just 11 minutes of brisk walking or other mild exercise each day (even for the group…
Google Is Testing the “No Meeting” Week to Fight Burnout – Will It Catch On?
In the pursuit of improved holistic wellness, there are ingenious, powerful, and yet remarkably simple ways to innovate by way of “suppression” (not addition: more of this and more of that). Google provides such an example in the area of mental wellness at work. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the ever-rising problem of unwellness in the workplace. However, several ideas aimed at enhancing our…
Major Trend and Opportunity for the Wellness Industry: Financial Wellness and Literacy
Less than a year after entering the pandemic, three vaccines are in sight. This is a game changer, but even so, the next few months are going to be grim in the Western world. What happens next? When the recovery begins in earnest in Q2 of 2021, it will be two-tracked and bifurcated. For those in the “right” industry, company or sector, pent-up demand will…