As Brexit in the UK and the Arab Uprisings in Egypt have shown, rising GDP doesn’t do a very good job at predicting unrest because money doesn’t equal social wellbeing. That’s why research organization Gallup has been measuring people’s perception of their own wellness/happiness in 140 countries for 13 years—polling them on things such as their stress levels and whether they feel treated with respect.…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION There is a risk of the trade war morphing into a currency war. And just as for a trade war, a currency war has no winners. The possible benefits of depreciating a currency (like the hope of boosting growth) are small and elusive, while the risks are considerable (a spiral of capital flows and further depreciation). To date, exchange rates…
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…
What if aging weren’t inevitable, but a curable disease? – MIT Technology Review, August 19, 2019 If this controversial idea gains acceptance, it could radically change the way we treat getting old. Business travelers are getting better about wellness on the road – Business Travel News, Aug. 20, 2019 A new survey of American, Asian and European business travelers found that 42 percent “work hard”…
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
With our always-on work, sleep and recovery are undervalued. Our world is increasingly sleep-deprived, and insufficient sleep is now considered a public health crisis with far-reaching human and economic consequences. So, for September, the GWI’s The Wellness Moonshot™ Calendar: A Year of Inspiration offers tips on how to get more sleep—from learning from other sleep-healthy cultures to companies implementing email blackout times and structuring work around employees’…
