A large new study shows that people that move around during the day, no matter how modestly, are less likely to die prematurely. It’s a meaningful study because it looked at what people were actually doing via fitness trackers (and not just what they self-reported), and it found that the biggest life expectancy gains came from people that shifted from being almost totally sedentary to…
A new study from the University of Pennsylvania found that music therapy was as effective as a common sedative (midazolam) in reducing anxiety in patients before surgery. The song that was played is called “Weightless” by the band Marconi Union—and you can listen to it here. ACCESS STUDY
We can’t be well in a world that is falling apart. Therefore, successfully adjusting to a low-carbon economy is of critical importance to the industry whose raison d’être is to promote and sell wellness. One aspect that is often overlooked (or rather doesn’t receive the attention it deserves) is food. Global food habits, dominated by narrow, standardized, industrialized, and more often than not, inappropriate choices…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION For all the talk about technology and how it risks making our lives lonelier, there are also many initiatives that focus on measures and policies susceptible to creating a more connected and friendly community life. Psychologists and social scientists contend that three conditions are necessary to form close bonds and real friendships: (1) proximity, (2) repeated unplanned interactions, and (3)…
A new UN report (from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has some scary findings. It focuses exclusively on the world’s land use and how modern agriculture and deforestation is radically boosting climate change. One finding: Human land use is responsible for 23 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions—half from carbon dioxide emitted through deforestation and half from agriculture. Their warning: We simply can’t…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION Nobody quite knows why the 21st-century workplace seems to be so conducive to overwork, burnout and depression, but the global issue of mental health at work is reaching such proportions that it’s now dubbed the “trillion-dollar taboo.” Is it the high-pressure culture of today’s marketplace? The prevailing social norms that make it shameful to show vulnerability? The “always-on” digital culture?…
