In their new book the authors argue that many of us are suffering from the wellness syndrome. This means people are increasingly concerned with maximising their individual health and happiness. As a result, we have started to think that a person who is healthy and happy is also a morally good person. People who are unhealthy and unhappy are seen as moral failures.
Monitored by governments and companies
Most private aspects of our lives are being interferred with by governments and big companies. We have already seen governments regulating choices about whether we smoke. Now they are try to control how much we eat and drink, whether we exercise and even how happy we feel. Recently, big companies have got in on the act as well. They encourage employees to sign up to wellness plans which require them have a healthy diet, exercise, quit smoking and cut down their drinking. Companies also closely monitor consumers private lives. Some life logging companies collect intimate data such as people's eating habits, sleep patterns and even bathroom routines.
Wellness backlash
The obsession with health and happiness often backfires. An obsession with individual wellness actually makes people more anxious, depressed and ultimately unhealthy. People are under pressure to keep up an appearance of being upbeat and happy, even when they are not. Recent research also shows that attempts to put yourself in a positive mindset by chanting happy slogans often has the opposite effect – making people feel worse.
The Wellness Syndrome in the media
The book has received attention in The Guardian, The Times, BBC and many other media.
A selection:
- The Guardian: “The Wellness Syndrome by Carl Cederström & André Spicer – exploitation with a smiley face”
- BBC: Thought for the day (1 hour 47 minutes in)
- Washington Post: "The dark underbelly of the Davos ‘well-being’ agenda"
- Real Business: A "creeping cult of corporate wellness" is making employees feel sick, according to academic researchers.
- The Times: ”Are you a better person because you think your body is a temple?”
- Financial Times: ”Ditch the wellness logs, charts, apps and get a life"
- The Conversation: ”Wearable tech could turn us into navel-gazing slaves to the smartwatch” ”You’ve heard of the internet of things, now behold the internet of me” "The unhealthy underside of the wellbeing agenda"
- HRreview : "Book review: The Wellness Syndrome by Carl Cederström and André Spicer"