Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of November 22, 2016)

Dalai Lama: Behind Our Anxiety, the Fear of Being Unneeded
The New York Times, November 4, 2016

This op-ed addresses the central question of our time: why, when there has never been a better time to be alive, is there so much anger and discontent? The Dalai Lama and the NYT editorialist explain that this is due to the fact that “we all need to be needed.” The problem in the world’s richest nations is not a lack of material riches, but the growing number of people who feel they are “no longer useful, no longer needed, no longer one with their societies.”

GWI Releases New Data on the Wellness Tourism Market

This week, the GWI released new data on the wellness tourism market from its in-depth “Global Wellness Economy” report that will be available in early 2017. The numbers were presented in London yesterday at the World Travel Market, who tapped the GWI to create the program for this year’s Wellness Travel Symposium. Check out the topics and speakers here

Global wellness tourism revenues grew 14 percent in the last two years – more than twice as fast as overall tourism. But what’s growing faster: international or domestic wellness travel? Primary or secondary wellness trips? What are the top 10 nations for wellness travel? Click here to find out

Epidemic of Mental Health Problems for Young Women: Is Social Media to Blame?

A new study from the UK’s National Health Service had some scary findings: More than one in four young women (ages 16-24) now have a mental health condition like depression, panic disorder or OCD – while the rates of mental illness in men have remained unchanged. This epidemic among today’s young women (often considered the “selfie generation”) suggests that time spent on social media may be a culprit.

Read more about why mental wellness needs to become a bigger wellness industry focus, and how it’s the biggest cause of misery in high-income countries. 

With Rising Income Inequality – Inequality in Access to Wellness Looms Ahead

With income inequality worsening around the world, a top economist has argued that this issue may become tomorrow’s political catastrophe (by giving rise to an explosion in populism).

And while income inequalities are already reflected in people’s access to wellness (how people eat, exercise, etc.), Malleret argues that the divide between the wellness “haves” and “have-nots” looks to worsen in the future, especially as new high-tech (and expensive) wellness solutions appear.