Bookworm: The Wellness Syndrome

Wellbeing is a buzzword in work as in life. Carl Cederstrӧm and André Spice explore the wellness industry and whether it really improves our health.

What's the book about?

As we might guess, The Wellness Syndrome is a provocative interrogation of the wellness industry and all it decries. However, it goes deeper than just cynicism about companies capitalising from people’s insecurities. It explores the negative social and political impact of too much focus on wellness for wellness’ sake.

Its authors are Carl Cederstrӧm, associate professor of organisation studies at Stockholm University and André Spicer, professor of organisational behaviour at the Cass Business School at City, University of London.

Isn’t the notion of a long and happy life as old as the hills?

Health has always been necessary for happiness, of course. But, it used to be that only the sick thought about their health. Healthy people would spend their time thinking about art, politics, relationships and other such philosophical concepts. Now, everyone is worried sick about their health, literally, and we risk losing sight of the things that make us, and society, happy.

So, does ‘wellness’ mean something different to ‘health’?

Yes – importantly, The Wellness Syndrome is referring to the obsessional focus on wellness as an ideology. It is not about the fundamentals of healthy eating, exercising, and going to the dentist and doctor regularly. It is about the obsessive fixation so many of us have about our weight and diet, or our physical, mental or even ‘spiritual’ fitness. We see this in the many ‘quantified self’ tracking tools and apps that track our daily steps, our calories or our minutes of mindful concentration each day.

But surely, being interested in being well can’t make us less ‘well’? 

Any obsession or fixation limits our freedom of thought. If we believe that a successful and happy life necessitates a thin, toned body, then our choices will reflect that ‘aspiration’.

We may miss out on formative experiences – such as staying up late getting tipsy with our university friends or trying fatty but delicious food on holiday. These experiences aren’t just fun; they keep us open to the world and to new ideas.

So, being on a diet is less fun than eating what we want, but is that really the big issue?

No, the bigger issue is the effect the prevalence of wellness as a goal has on wider society. That belief that only the fittest folk will have a successful life creates a moral imperative.

‘Good’ people look after themselves and are thin. Overweight people are therefore lazy and irresponsible.  It’s not hard to see how this kind of belief system can lead to shame and hopelessness for many.

No one should feel shamed, but isn’t my wellbeing my responsibility?

Yes and no. The wellness industry, and those companies and political parties that subscribe to its insidious tenets, would love you to take 100% responsibility for your own wellbeing. That way, they can overwork you, underpay you, and take away your welfare benefits. And if you’re not happy and full of energy, at the end of the day, that’s your fault.

But the point is that we're not always 100% responsible for our own wellbeing. Many of us simply don’t have the time, money or know-how to always be at our best. That isn’t our fault – it’s often about the wider societal system we’re operating in. Employers are on the hook here, too.

What do you mean?

The authors provide an example. In the 1990s, (Labour) prime minister Tony Blair pushed through massive reforms to the welfare state on the ideological basis that people are generally quite lazy and won’t work if they don’t really have to.

He was playing to the mindset that success is the responsibility of the individual and not related to market conditions. The haves and the have-nots became suddenly ideologically divided, and rather than supporting those who needed help, those in need were judged to be incapable or lazy.

So, what should I do to swerve the bullets the wellness industry is trying to fire my way?

A few things:

• Accept your imperfections and give yourself regular breaks from your fitness and dietary regime; don’t become a slave to it. Stop feeling guilty for being human.

• Accept other people’s imperfections, don’t assume you know their challenges, and don’t judge them based on their bodies.

• Make time for the things and people in your life that make you happy and expand your mind.

• See the bigger picture – question inequalities, injustices and unfairnesses at work and in society. Ask who is benefiting from them.

What am I most likely to say after reading this book?

“Anyone fancy some cake?”

What am I least likely to say after reading this book?

“I can’t, I have Pilates.”