“Out With the Old” (New Study Shows Why It’s Better to Tackle Bad Habits All at Once)
– The New York Times, May 12, 2016
New research suggests that it’s better to address all of our bad habits at once rather than try to make incremental changes in our lives. According to one of the scientists involved in the project, “The limits of the human capacity for change may be much greater than we, as scientists, have given people credit for.”
Since 2007, Global Wellness Institute research on the size and growth of the worldwide spa industry has been the go-to resource for everyone from investors to the media. We are updating our global wellness economy numbers this year, and are currently running a survey on the industry.
With the latest focus on all things wellness, now a massive $3.4 trillion industry, some very creative merchandizing of solutions is going on. Read Malleret’s latest post on how “bubbles” are developing in the industry, and why some are destined to burst. Are you a part of his predicted bubble?
This month, the GWI announced it has reached a critical mass of 16 diverse Initiatives. Each of these global taskforces tackles a key industry issue and is chaired by an impassioned leader in that wellness field. As Philippe Bourguignon, partner at Revolution and former co-CEO of the World Economic Forum, put it, ”These Initiatives are really a brilliant structure for encouraging impartial, top-level collaboration among world-renowned experts in wellness to effect positive, global change in their areas of expertise.”
“Nestlé Wants to Sell You Both Sugary Snacks and Diabetes Pills”
– Bloomberg, May 5, 2016
This article delves into the issue of whether “Big Food” is the next Big Tobacco – with all the destruction of value that this would imply – and describes a future industry that may find itself between food and pharmaceuticals. It focuses on Nestlé, the largest food company in the world, that is redefining itself as a scientifically-driven “nutrition, health and wellness company,” premised upon the idea that food could be the basis for an entirely new type of medication—both preventive treatments and therapies for acute disease.
The GWI and Everyday Health’s recent study, “Unlocking the Power of Company Caring” (based on a survey of U.S. employees), takes an in-depth look at how work environments impact employee health and productivity. A key finding was that, when it comes to what drives the most wellness at work, age matters. In the study, employees weighed in on their personal wellness priorities, and according to the results, millennials rated “emotional” and “social” wellness higher, Gen X placed a higher value on “intellectual” wellness, and for Baby Boomers, “physical” and “spiritual” wellness mattered more.
