The world's wellness obsession has gone too far

[cronus]

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... M5mjdKsXWQ

The world's wellness obsession has gone too far

Being urged to optimise every aspect of our lives to improve well-being is sometimes counterproductive, say two organisation researchers

Fitter, happier, more productive. If you need a wry slogan for the growing pursuit of wellness or well-being at every turn then Radiohead's lyric seems a good fit. And if there is a natural home for talking up wellness, then medicine may be it. American surgeon and writer Atul Gawande recently argued medics should not just ensure the health and survival of patients, they should also seek to enhance well-being. For Gawande, that means nothing less than "sustaining the reasons one wishes to be alive".

But medicine is far from the only walk of life to embrace this idea. It has crept into much of society. The UK's Office of National Statistics now measures national well-being to gauge policy impact. Museums justify their existence on the basis of their contribution to well-being. Each year, thousands of university students in the US sign voluntary "wellness contracts", pledging to abstain from anything vaguely unhealthy. You can even find such initiatives in prisons.

Perhaps most pervasive though are the growing number of companies, in the US and UK, that offer corporate well-being or workplace wellness programmes. In the US, around half of all employers with 50 or more staff offer such schemes.

It sounds like a good idea. But, given the enthusiasm with which they are promoted, are wellness programmes always wonderful? A body of research points to unexpected side effects and impacts that don't always match expectations.

For starters, there is evidence suggesting that paying attention to your happiness, a crucial part of well-being, can actually make you less happy. In one study, two groups watched a video that usually makes people happy – a figure skater winning a prize. Afterwards, participants filled in a questionnaire to assess happiness. The only difference was that before viewing the video, one group read a statement emphasising the importance of happiness and the other group did not. Those who did not read the statement were more happy after the video. Consciously focusing on our happiness can backfire.

An obsessive focus on wellness can also make us more judgmental, potentially worsening societal divisions. Those who highly value well-being tend to view those who don't come up to their high standards as "disgusting", even if the truth is they can't afford a personal yoga instructor or the latest lifelogging technology.

A fascinating stream of research in moral psychology has found that when feelings of disgust are triggered, we tend to rapidly make highly punitive moral judgements. For example, we are more likely to harshly judge people who "turn our stomach" and we ascribe morally unattractive traits to them, such as being lazy and untrustworthy.

(continued, health fascists are ordinary fascists with health as a excuse? always suspected that myself....)

[pErvinalia]

Interesting stuff.

[laklak]

Fucking wellness busybodies need to be horsewhipped. Last place I worked started that garbage, had to go sit through mind-numbing presentations of wooly-headed wooshite about meditation and being "mindful" and suchlike horseshit. Fuck off with your fucking wellness, I've earned my poor health by dint of years of abusing my body and I'm damn well going to enjoy it now.

[pErvinalia]

It's kind of like companies "green washing" themselves. No one outside of the HR department believes this shit, but they do it for the company image. Personally i used to welcome any excuse to not have to work and instead sit at the back of a seminar and sleep, only to wake up for the free biscuits at the end.

[laklak]

Biscuits!? Biscuits are full of SUGAR! White death! No, after the Wellness Webinar you get a carrot stick and glass of water. Then you get to exercise while singing the Company Song.

[JimC]

I think wellness can be achieved only when naked, and being massaged by young women while drinking gin.

It's my theory, and I'm sticking to it...

[Hermit]

It's kind of like companies "green washing" themselves. No one outside of including the HR department believes this shit, but they do it does it for the company image.

[pErvinalia]

No, I'm of the belief that they actually do believe this shit. I spend a chunk of time in most jobs fighting with HR, so I have experience with a variety of them. I think they have convinced themselves this shit matters.

[rainbow]

It is hard to argue against a healthy diet, regular exercise, not smoking and drinking in moderation.

Eat more bacon 'n cheese toasties, be a slob, smoke a few packs a day and get smashed regularly.

There. I've argued against it.


Wasn't that hard.