When guests return from a stay at a wellness/spa retreat, they may personally know that their physical and mental health has been improved, but the impact of these stays at global wellness retreats has remained largely anecdotal and under-analyzed. A new GWI Initiative, “The WORLD (Wellness Outcomes from Residential Lifestyle Destination) Retreat Study,” chaired by Professor Marc Cohen, professor of Health Sciences, RMIT University, aims to change that. This research project will empirically aggregate and assess the outcomes from wellness retreat stays through a standardized online assessment tool that will measure guests’ depression, stress, mood, sleep, health symptoms, quality of life and cognitive function, etc. before and after the retreat experience. This research will help lead to increased investment and government support for these facilities.
Wellness Evidence Study: Mindfulness Therapy Powerful at Reducing Relapses of Depression
A new meta-analysis of European and North American studies by Oxford University researchers found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MCBT) was more effective at reducing relapses and recurrences of depression than ongoing antidepressant medication. Also, mindfulness was particularly effective for people with more severe depressive symptoms.
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of May 3, 2016)
“The science of happiness can trump GDP as a guide for policy” – The Conversation, April 13, 2016
At a time when global GDP is bound to be structurally lower, this is an important article. The economist (best known for the “Easterlin Paradox”) argues that and explains why happiness could supplant GDP as a measure of societal wellbeing. He offers four reasons as to why happiness should be preferred to GDP. In a nutshell: “Happiness tells us how well a society satisfies the major concerns of people’s everyday life. GDP is a measure limited to one aspect of economic life: the production of material goods.”
What’s the Difference Between Wellness and Well-being? Or is There One?
Shakespeare famously wrote, “What’s in a name?” The answer is a lot. Words, and how they’re mobilized, matter. The subtle ways that words evolve and the “work” they do have a major impact on how people think. Most of us have probably used the words “wellness” and “well-being” interchangeably. We probably haven’t thought much about whether there is (or should be) a distinction.
Chinese Economy on Skids, But Consumer Wellness Spending Will Boom
The deceleration in the Chinese economy tops the economic headlines. But as Chinese consumer spending evolves – from products and services to experiences – Malleret argues that the new Chinese consumer will, in fact, spend much more on travel, spas, organic food and fitness. Read about how, by 2030, China’s working-age population and its appetite for wellness goods and services will account for 12 cents of every dollar spent in cities worldwide…
GWI “Baltic to the Black Sea” Initiative Launches
We celebrate the wellness traditions of India…China…the Mediterranean and Scandinavian nations. But the wellbeing practices of Eastern Europe have been far too little known. Now, a new GWI Initiative, “Baltic to the Black Sea,” steps up to start to correct that problem. Chaired by Alla Sokolova (co-founder, Balans International Wellness Centre, Latvia), it will bring together official ministry representatives and entrepreneurs to share best practices and promote Eastern European wellness that is both ancient and authentic – and modern and effective – for today’s travelers.
