Global Wellness Institute

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.

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.

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.

At the recent Global Wellness Summit, Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at the super-elite Google [X] engineering team, explained how he “solved for happy.” Despite having achieved amazing success (and spurred later by the terrible death of his son), Mo decided to attack his profound unhappiness like the scientist he is: creating a research-based algorithm for happiness.

Find out what the secrets are.