At the recent Global Wellness Summit, Elissa Epel, PhD, Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, analysed the latest from telomere science: those caps at the end of our DNA whose shortening is causally predictive of disease and aging. What forces negatively impact our telomeres? And what can we do to lengthen them? Learn how everything from adversity in pregnancy, chronic stress, lack of social connection, poor sleep, and diets high in meat are associated with shorter telomeres.
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of January 3, 2018)
“Sonic Tonic” (Why Nature Sounds Manage Sleep & Stress) – MotherBoard, December 4, 2017
Millions of people in cities rely on recorded nature sounds to manage sleep and stress. Scientists now understand why it works, and one reason is the fact that sounds of nature have a unique ability to promote our “rest and digest” state – while artificial sounds prompt sympathetic arousal.
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (December 22, 2017)
Wellness Trends 2018. The wellness trends forecasts are rolling in… (The Global Wellness Summit’s will be released January 24.)
Well-being Apps Imprison Us in Private Emotional Experience – The Wrong Approach
The issue of how technology affects human wellness is reaching crisis proportions, as academic research conclusively demonstrates that the overconsumption of technology/social media is detrimental to mental health. And technology that tries to boost well-being – like most wellness/happiness apps – may do more harm than good by locking us up in private emotional experience rather than helping us connect with people.
Research Supports Wellness MoonshotTM: Nearly Half of U.S. Cancer Deaths Preventable
The GWI recently launched a “Wellness Moonshot” whose mission is to achieve a world free of preventable disease. And new research (American Cancer Society) just provided more evidence as to how crucial a ramped-up focus on prevention is. Nearly half (42%) of all U.S. cancer deaths—including the vast majority of lung and skin cancers—would be preventable by lifestyle change. The study – if anything – underestimates the role of lifestyle choices in cancer prevention.
Prediction: Workplace Wellness Will See Double-Digit Annual Growth in Next Decade
It’s premature to declare that we’ve reached a tipping point, but many more companies (particularly in the West) are becoming aware that improving the wellness of their workforce delivers more growth and a competitive advantage. Prediction: workplace wellness programs will increase annually by double-digit rates over the next decade.
