MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION In this lower growth, uncertain and ever-more unequal world, an issue is gaining prominence: that of a wealth tax. For instance, a group of American billionaires has just been calling publicly for a “wealth tax,” and our own little survey at the Wellness Barometer (very limited and hence with no real scientific validity) shows that ultra-high-net-worth families are surprisingly receptive…
The GWI today launched a new white paper series: “Understanding Wellness.” The research papers are designed to become the go-to primer for policymakers, businesspeople and researchers to understand—in clear and simple terms and backed by expert insight and rich data—the major force that wellness has become around the world and how it will evolve in the future. This first paper, The Global Forces Driving the Growth of the…
Feeling Lonely? Perhaps You’d Like to Talk to Some Strangers – The New York Times, July 18, 2019 To fight isolation, several groups are working to create in-person connections by bringing total strangers together. One is the international movement (now in 15 cities) called Tea With Strangers, which invites five strangers to chat for two hours over tea. Another is the Chatty Cafe Scheme, where…
Wellness is remaking the evolving retail sector, and a new GWI Initiative will explore the new opportunities, from researching consumer drivers for purchasing wellness-related products and services to identifying the value of creating wellness experiences in both digital and physical retail spaces. The Initiative Chair is Whitney Austin Gray, PhD, SVP of Delos, who has deep experience in the intersection of health and built environment. The Vice-Chair…
A new meta-analysis (49 studies) published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings indicates that yoga practice that emphasizes mental relaxation and breathing techniques can have as much of a positive impact on high blood pressure as aerobic exercise: It results in blood pressure reductions as large as 11/6 mmHg, equal to or exceeding those reported for aerobic exercise training. When yoga didn’t emphasize breathing techniques and…
A recent Los Angeles Times article by Jessica Roy explores how millennials, Gen Z and younger Gen Xers are replacing formal religion with practices such as tarot, astrology, meditation, energy healing and crystals. The author notes they don’t particularly care if you think it’s “woo-woo” or weird. One expert pointed out the trend of people “cooking up their own spiritual or religious stew” is a…
