Wellbeing-Focused Public Policy Is Getting Serious – And Being Led by Women

MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION Globally, wellbeing public policies are gathering momentum. This is not a fad: For more and more government policy-makers, the pursuit of wellbeing is just as important as economic growth. But why now? The climate emergency, widening geopolitical fault lines, social inequities and rising anger, tech, and anxiety about jobs: All these are forcing policy-makers to recognize and act on wellbeing…

US Physical Activity Market: Ranks #1 in Spend, but Lags in Participation

The Global Wellness Institute, at the same event, released new data on the North American fitness market. The US is way out in front of all nations for overall physical activity spend ($265 billion) and leads in spend in all six markets studied: sports and active recreation, fitness, mindful movement, equipment and supplies, apparel and footwear, and technology. But there’s a serious disconnect: Sedentary lives,…

Dance: A Proven Depression Fighter

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) has not been used in clinical guidelines for interventions in depression because of the perceived lack of evidence. To remedy this, Edge Hill University, UK, undertook a systematic review of high-quality studies and found that DMT—in every study—was found to be an effective therapy for the treatment of adults with depression. ACCESS STUDY Read Quartz’s important, new article about the powerful…

The Isolation of the “Peleton Wife”: Is a Backlash Against Virtual Home Fitness Ahead?

MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION MONTHLY BAROMETER With hindsight, 2019 will be regarded as a tipping point for the digital revolution. The earlier promises of freedom, convenience, civic engagement and community building have given way to grave concerns and angst about privacy loss, surveillance, distrust, dislocation, manipulation and endless outrage. From an investment perspective, this suggests that both ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) strategies…

Trend: Coaching Will Rise in 2020

The world in 2020 will be on thin ice—both in real terms (accelerating global warming, a US election deepening political tribalism, a hard Brexit, Hindu nationalism in India leading to national fracturing, etc., etc.)—but also metaphorically. This may be the reason why techniques related to positive psychology and destined to improve our feelings of wellbeing and our ability to make better decisions are gaining so…

GWI Launches “Beyond GDP, World Happiness & Wellbeing” Initiative

The GWI just launched a new initiative that will focus on new metrics and ideas that go beyond GDP, to help businesses and governments shift toward a regenerative economy, an investment in planetary health, and to embrace the new science behind achieving world happiness, wellbeing and sustainable development. The chair is Davide Bollati, founder and chairman, Davines (Italy), and the vice chair is Alla Sokolova,…