How a longevity economy can make growth work for every generation–World Economic Forum 
Societies are aging rapidly, with life expectancy increasing and the number of retirees set to double. To meet the demands of longer retirements, pension schemes must evolve in tandem with diversified long-term investments and structural reforms. The longevity economy depends on reimagining work through flexible, multigenerational employment, lifelong learning and new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence. Read the WEF’s new longevity white paper on how we can build a future where all generations thrive

How the iPhone drove men and women apart. And what it means for the future–The New York Times 
Plunging fertility rates are a relatively recent global phenomenon whose social and economic consequences will be monumental, and for many countries devastating. So far, no research has come to a conclusive understanding of what the key reasons underpinning the decline in babies could be. In this video interview with transcript, social scientist Alice Evans goes through the various theories and explains why global declining fertility rates aren’t just a gender issue. In her opinion, they are also “a solitude issue.” People are spending far more time alone, with the data showing that the correlation between the decline in people being married, or a couple, is almost one-to-one with the decline in children. If Alice Evans’ conclusions are correct, it’s “personal online entertainment,” ranging from social media to gambling to porn, that has been driving men and women apart and fueling the fertility freefall. Tech outcompetes personal interactions, but there are solutions. The video is about 50 minutes long, but worth every minute!

Digital biomarkers of aging move toward clinical credibility–Longevity.Technology 
A new review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity by global researchers from institutions including Harvard, Stanford, NUS Singapore and the Buck Institute maps the growing menu and current state of digital biomarkers that aim to monitor aging—and where they must go next. It offers both a classification of available digital biomarkers across eight physiological systems and a candid look at their readiness for clinical and consumer use.

Can Europe beat the overtourism crisis?–BBC
Last year’s anti-tourism protests drew global headlines. This summer, the tensions are back, but so are ideas to fix the system. Tourism can contribute mightily to a country’s GDP, as in Spain, where it represents 12% of the total economy. But the bigger the travel market, the higher the risk that overtourism will ruin cities and communities. All over the world, there are mounting protests denouncing the high housing costs and environmental damage that result from the crush of tourists. How to address the problem? A rising number of over-touristy destinations are now acting by imposing new regulations and taxes, planning to ban or restrict Airbnb rentals, limiting cruise ships, etc. This article looks at how Switzerland, Spain and Berlin are dealing with the issue, each in their own unique way. 

A Striking Stat: A majority (57%) of consumers are willing to share personal health information (e.g., heart rate, daily steps) with a company in exchange for smarter, personalized health recommendations. 

Source: Nielsen IQ, Global State of Health & Wellness 2025 

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Is all of this self-monitoring through wearables making us paranoid?–The New York Times 
As wearable tech, like the Oura Ring, becomes more ubiquitous, some users say having so much data about their bodies is making them far more anxious. Collecting piles of data about our bodies seems to hold the promise of bringing about a happier, healthier life, but according to this article it often does the opposite: rather than helping us feel more in control of our wellness, the data only makes us fixate on potential, and often nonexistent, problems. 

What a scientist who studies ‘super agers’ learned and how he now exercises for a longer life–The Washington Post
Cardiologist Eric Topol, 70, spent six years sequencing the genomes of 1,400 people in their 80s or older who had no major chronic diseases. These “super agers,” it turned out, shared few, if any, genetic similarities—meaning their DNA wasn’t necessarily the reason they were faring so well. There was one lifestyle change that seemed to influence aging far more than any other. Topol changed his own lifestyle accordingly and shared the workout that he now does based on his research.  

You might live to be 100. Are you ready?–The Guardian
A dramatic demographic change is unfolding, and many of us can expect a long life. For most of human history, only a minority of the young and middle-aged became old. As a result, we have long underinvested in our later years and failed to provide the required support for a long, healthy life. Given how many of us can expect to live to 80, have a shot at 90, and even make it to 100, this is a problem that demands change. It’s time to provide the support needed and SO much needs to be done. 

This is your priest on drugs (a university study reveals interesting things that happened when clergy members experienced psilocybin)–The New Yorker
It’s not every day that a group of clergy members recounts a high-dose psilocybin trip. But that’s what happened when dozens of them (including a Catholic priest, a Baptist Biblical scholar, several rabbis, an Islamic leader, and a Zen Buddhist roshi) took part in a university study. The researchers wanted to answer questions like, would psychedelic experiences renew their faith, or make them question it? Would they encounter imagery/symbolism from their specific faiths—or would they point to something more universal? The small study, which admittedly had serious flaws (no placebo control, etc.), tells a provocative story, and now many of the religious leaders are evangelists for psychedelics. A striking number of them (79%) reported that the experience enriched their prayer and their sense of the sacred in daily life, and 96% rated their first encounters with psilocybin among the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives. At a time when organized religion has been struggling with declining membership, especially among the young, could carefully-guided psychedelic experiences have the potential to spark a revival of interest in religion? It’s a controversial idea. 

A Striking Stat: 
Almost half of young people (46%) would prefer to live in a world without the internet. Nearly 70% feel worse about themselves after spending time on social media. 

Source: New British Standards Institution survey of 16 to 21-year-olds in the UK 

Read more findings and their implications.  

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The Case for Kicking the Stone

Philip Ball finds Nicholas Carr’s “Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart” disturbingly compelling.
Read the article on LA Review of Books >

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Vatican to host its first Summit on Longevity in March

The summit will take place in the context of the 2025 Jubilee in a meeting that will bring together scientists, Nobel laureates, and world leaders.

Read More Must-reads from the Wellness World

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Weight-loss drugs aren’t just slimming waists. They’re shifting the economy.

Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy may not be the lightbulb, jet airplane or internet, but their impact is expected to be so significant it could shift GDP.

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The World’s Best Hope to Beat Climate Change Is Vanishing–Bloomberg
Not happy reading but a must-read to grasp easily and comprehensively what’s going on. In brief, key economies and industries are off-track with respect to their crucial emissions targets, all pegged to 2030 deadlines and crucial to avoid the most devastating impacts of global warming. Far from being in retreat, carbon dioxide emissions hit a new record last year, meaning that the world faces a steeper, far costlier and more disruptive journey to reach net zero by 2050. And that was before the re-election of Donald Trump. Read on to understand what needs to be done now. Contains many useful graphs.

Mexican Schools Have 6 Months to Ban Junk Food Sales or Face Heavy Fines–Associated Press 
The government is banning junk food in schools, as authorities confront what they call the worst childhood obesity problem in the world. Mexico’s children get 40% of their total caloric intake from junk food and a recent survey of over 10,000 schools found that junk food was available in 98% of them, with sugary drinks in 95%. The new rules target products that have become staples for generations of Mexican school kids, from sugary fruit drinks to chips. School administrators who violate the order will face fines equivalent to between $545 and $5,450 (which could be as much as their annual salaries) and which could double for a second offense. New President Claudia Scheinbaum said schools will have to offer water fountains and alternative snacks, like bean tacos. However, the vast majority of Mexico’s 255,000 schools do not have free drinking water available to students.   

A Ridiculous, Perfect Way to Make Friends–The Atlantic 
Group fitness classes aren’t just about exercise. The author explains that many of the good friends she has at age 35 are people she met in exercise classes she attended regularly. These experiences have convinced her that group fitness classes are simply the best place to make friends as an adult—an idea supported by research that suggests that the glow of exercise’s feel-good chemicals has powerful interpersonal benefits. 

Ozempic Could Crush the Junk Food Industry. But It Is Fighting Back–The New York Times
For decades, Big Food has been marketing products to people who can’t stop eating, and now, suddenly, they can. With the prospect of tens of millions of people in the US alone cutting their caloric intake down to 1,000 calories a day, the industry is alarmed. Takers of the drugs report that they no longer desire ultra-processed foods (GLP-1s, by regulating the release of dopamine, seem to make their flavor profiles unpalatable) and that they instead desire fresh, real food alternatives. Big Food is nothing if not resourceful, and they are now busy trying to find new products that appeal to weight-loss drug takers. But we’re in the very early days and innovation is ahead.  

A Striking Stat: 
Nearly three-quarters of US adults are now overweight or obese, double the rate from 1990. For girls and women aged 15 to 24, obesity rates have nearly tripled, to 29%. 

Source: A sweeping new study in The Lancet. 

Read more findings.  

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