Culture—a defining element for containing the pandemic—explains why East Asian nations (where community acts as a collective agent for the common good) have done much better than individualistic countries characterized by a “to each his/her own” mentality. The reason is the following: the lower the level of social cohesion (or the higher the level of social inequality), the stronger the incentive for individuals to compete…
The Global Wellness Institute just released reports on the physical activity and fitness economies for six world regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America-Caribbean, Middle East-North Africa, North America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Each report is packed with data on consumer participation rates and market sizes for all six industry segments: 1) sports and active recreation; 2) fitness and gyms; 3) mindful movement; 4) equipment and supplies; 5)…
Laughter may be effective medicine for these trying times —New York Times, October 2, 2020 Some enlightened doctors, nurses and therapists have a prescription for helping all of us to get through this seemingly never-ending pandemic: Try a little laughter. Studies show laughter releases nitric oxide, which reduces blood pressure, and people who laugh more have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and live longer.…
“What’s nurtured slowly grows well.”—author Haruki Murakami Wherever you are on our planet, happy November! We’ve traveled a journey together for almost a year, exploring the qualities of effective wellness leadership. When we look back on 2020, we’ll always remember the global pandemic, social unrest, economic strife, climate challenges and other major issues we’ve faced together. We’ll also remember this year as the time when…
A new randomized clinical trial from Harvard Medical School and Boston University (published in JAMA Psychiatry) compared a 12-week program of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Kundalini yoga (which involves traditional yoga components, breathwork and meditation) against a stress education control group, for people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). They found that CBT was still the best first-line treatment, but that the yoga regime also…
The 2020 Global Wellness Summit (GWS), being held November 8–11 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL, will have an unprecedented focus on the tech innovations that are shaking up the wellness market. The GWS just announced the Call for Wellness Innovations contest, calling on all companies within the wellness technology space to submit their innovative ideas. Unlike other competitions, it will be judged by a heavy-hitter…
