In their Wheel of Wellness, a popular model used for conceptualizing dimensions of wellness, researchers Jane E. Myers, PhD, Thomas Sweeney, PhD, and J. Melvin Witmer, PhD, define wellness as “a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being… ideally it is the optimum state of health and well-being that each individual is capable of achieving.”1 This encompasses all aspects of wellness including the physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental, financial and occupational.
As we find our footing in 2025, a year that has already seen a large amount of unprecedented change, many people are looking toward new and beneficial ways to not only take care of their own health and wellness, but also our collective well-being.
This March, the annual Global Wellness Summit’s (GWS) wellness trends report was released — the longest-running, most detailed forecast of what we can expect in health and wellness for the year ahead. The Future of Wellness: 2025 Trends2 report shares what consumers are seeking globally and as a result, what businesses, governments and industries are providing them.
The report is a compilation of trends that have met certain criteria identified by GWS wellness experts. To be included, these trends must: “Reflect major, long-term cultural or demographic shifts that will inevitably change the world and the world of wellness; tackle major crises in human and planetary health; impact the wellness of people beyond the one percent; and capture what is truly new but won’t be fleeting.”
Of those trends, we highlighted the top four we feel will be most interesting and beneficial to our readers. Below is an edited summary of those trends as provided by GWS:
Analog Wellness. In our world today, there’s a demand for slower, low-tech living. Most people are tired of disinformation, feeling manipulated by online content, and general brain and culture “rotting.”
Apps keep getting more addictive, designed to keep us on our screens with siloed algorithms and hate speech creating more division.
The report predicts 2025 will be the year more people don’t just engage in “digital detox” but get more aggressive about logging off and “analog-ing on.” Trailblazed by younger generations, there’s a growing obsession with retro tech, and analog hobbies and experiences, that restore our attention and the sense of the tactile. This includes structured, super-social classes and clubs revolving around social ceramics studios, old-school game-playing clubs, intellectual “academic bars,” and reading salons set to live music. These analog clubs and salons are giving fitness studios and pricey “social wellness clubs” competition as new grassroots
third spaces.
The analog-experience trends are also transforming travel. To many people, digital detox cabins in nature or phone-free adventure tours feel more aspirational than spa palaces. Retro-tech mania (for old-school cameras, vinyl records and vintage typewriters) is hitting resorts, from “deep listening” vinyl record nights in saunas, to swapping guests’ phones for “digital detox kits” that contain Polaroid cameras, paper maps and board games.
Wellness resorts are also launching sophisticated analog arts programming: painting, ceramics, calligraphy and writing workshops, as well as pre-industrial experiences like learning blacksmithing and wheat milling.
While digital detox and analog-living trends have been gaining traction for years, people are now prioritizing them less for their trendy nostalgia and more for an urgent need to return to a human “retro future.”
Longevity Redefines Work. The report states that, while many might find it hard to believe, the fastest-growing workforce age group globally is now made up of those over 75 years old. Many factors are driving people to work longer including the vast knowledge and resources they hold, their financial needs, global and national labor needs, and the four percent gross domestic product (GDP) boost available to countries for every year of increased work participation. This trend explores seismic shifts happening in the workforce around what roles we’ll fill, how long we’ll stay, and how we’ll adapt.
Experts acknowledge that health and well-being will play a major role in productivity, satisfaction and longevity for older populations in the workforce. To support these workers, it will be essential for governments and businesses to implement wellness initiatives, health-focused policies and age-inclusive strategies. This will also boost productivity and foster intergenerational collaboration. By incorporating wellness and technological innovations, businesses and governments won’t just improve retention, increase satisfaction, and minimize barriers — they will create a cultural transformation and help all workers thrive together for longer.
Teen Wellness. Many teenagers today are facing “diseases of despair,” a phrase coined by Columbia University professor in the Clinical Psychology Program
Lisa Miller, PhD, when referring to anxiety, depression, addiction and suicidality. Loneliness has also seen a sharp rise among this population as teens are more connected digitally, less connected emotionally, and mentally exhausted. Many factors, including climate and financial crises, technology, mass shootings and the far-reaching effects of social media have shaped their experiences.
According to Child Psychiatrist Sami Timini, MD, we should look at what’s happening with teens as not just an indication of the mental health of the individual, but as a “barometer pointing to something ‘unhealthy’ in the society and culture that invented it.” A sedentary lifestyle and habits of eating ultra-processed foods are also impacting this younger generation.
To help them live more balanced lives and make healthy choices into their future, various therapies such as sound healing, meditation and nature immersion are being offered to teens through retreats, resorts and educational apps and programs for urban and suburban youth. Experts agree: It is a shared responsibility, and with empathy, innovative ideas and collective action we can all help teens. “Their future — and our collective well-being — depend on it.”
Wellness Tackles Addiction. From alcohol to technology, wellness practices are increasingly being incorporated into all types of treatment for addictions. More and more, companies are focusing on harm-reduction to help people make healthy, balanced decisions for themselves and their habits. Likewise, medical treatment centers are also integrating wellness alongside doctor-supervised programs through the use of massage, meditation, equine therapy and more.
Luxury retreats and addiction treatment resorts are also on the rise globally as people are seeking holistic support in picturesque locations. And while there is still work to be done, experts are seeing that addiction has largely become destigmatized, especially as people realize how strong attachments are being formed to many different stimuli besides alcohol and drugs (i.e., phones, food, pornography and more). As a result, wellness products are emerging that may act as antidotes or in some cases replacements for vice products, such as non-alcoholic beverages. In addition, medical providers are increasingly using innovative and wellness-focused therapies to treat mental health conditions and addictions.
Wellness on the Line. Fueled by a desire for slower, more relaxed travel, both cruises and train travel are surging in popularity, and increasingly adding creative wellness offerings to their travel itineraries. Established cruise lines are partnering with integrative health advocates like Deepak Chopra, MD, and Andrew Weil, MD, to help guests navigate their wellness journeys.
These enhanced wellness additions have proven to have positive results on travelers. A 2024 study conducted onboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 showed “in just five days at sea, the 40 guests who took part in the neuroscience research showed remarkable results, with improvements in memory, problem-solving, attention, and overall emotional well-being.”
Another trend is sustainable travel, particularly with trains as more passengers are concerned about their carbon footprint. Many are calling it a “rail renaissance,” including luxury train travel with dedicated spa carriages taking travelers to age-old spa towns, and increased use of Amtrak with more than 24 million travelers using the U.S. train company between October 2023 and July 2024.
More and more people are prioritizing the journey over the destination. This trend shows they are placing higher valuer and importance on making choices that are sustainable, enjoyable and mindful — and enhance their sense of well-being overall.
Wendy Fink is lead editor of Desert Health. For more information on the Future of Wellness 2025 Trends, visit www.globalwellnesssummit.com.
References: 1) https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/practice-briefs/wellness.pdf; 2) 2025 Wellness Trends Report and Summary from Global Wellness Summit
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