The Hard Facts

Modern Society's Blueprint is broken

Despite advancements in technology, medicine, and knowledge, we are more stressed, disconnected, and unhealthy than ever. The following statistics reveal the urgent challenges shaping our reality today.

Let us take a look at the hard facts and statistics. Although we have more knowledge, access to modern medication and extensive research as well as improved technology to help make our lives easier, we have never been this stressed-out, anxious, depressed, overweight, and inactive physically.

Also, we have never been this disengaged with our jobs, relationships, and our environment. There is a major disconnect between the types of lives we are encouraged to pursue and how we feel in the end. We are faced with an epidemic across industrialized societies, which seems to be worsening over the past decades. The negative impact on ourselves and society is massive. The numbers below tell a somber story.

EMOTIONAL

In many ways, the quality of our life and the sense of our well-being are linked to how we feel moment to moment and over the long term. Emotions are constantly present in our lives—studies have shown that people report some feelings virtually all the time. So how do we feel?

Stress has been called the “health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization and is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year according to the Business News Daily.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Depression rates among teens have skyrocketed since 2011.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that young adolescents in the US are as likely to die from suicide as from traffic accidents.

PHYSICAL

The physical pillar is comprised of what we consume and ingest, all the physical activities we undertake, and the lifestyle choices we make that impact us, as well as sleep and recuperation.

Obesity

Going by the findings of the World Health Organization, worldwide, obesity has nearly doubled since 1980. Trend data from 188 countries shows that nearly 30% of the world’s population is either obese or overweight.
According to some prognosis, by 2030, one billion people in the world will be obese.
More than 2 in 3 adults in the US are considered to be overweight, with 1 in 3 considered to be obese. About one-third of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 are considered to be overweight or obese[5].

Physical Activity

Sleep

The majority of people get less than the recommendations from the National Institutes of Health: school-age children need at least 10 hours of sleep daily, teens need 9-10 hours, while adults need 7-8 hours of sleep.
According to some prognosis, by 2030, one billion people in the world will be obese.
More than 2 in 3 adults in the US are considered to be overweight, with 1 in 3 considered to be obese. About one-third of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 are considered to be overweight or obese

MENTAL

Your brain is constantly processing and storing information, attempting to comprehend and understand it. Mental health involves your ability to keep your focus on a certain task, form opinions, use logic, learn, and reason. James Allen famously wrote that we are ultimately what we think.

SOCIAL

One of the most important influences on our level of life satisfaction and happiness is the strength of our social relationships: close and supportive family, friends, and a loving relationship with a partner. Thanks to technology, we have never in history had as many social connections. However, studies show alarming results that social isolation is a growing epidemic in the developed world.

Loneliness

Social Isolation

SOCIAL MEDIA

OCCUPATIONAL

What we do and how we spend our time has a major impact on how we feel and how satisfied we are with our lives. And this pertains to our work (considering that most adults in the US spend over 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime), but also the amount and quality of leisure time.

A report by Gallup shows that 7 out of 10 American workers are actively disengaged from their jobs. Worldwide, only 24% of workers are actively engaged in their work (based on a 142-country study).
Children now spend more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen (e.g. TV, video games, computer). Moreover, the more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression
Teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide, such as making a suicide plan.

Environmental / Material

There is overwhelming scientific evidence showing that the physical, psychological, and social well-being of humans depends on contact with nature. A recent study concluded that connection to nature is not a dispensable amenity; rather, it is essential to our health, economic prosperity, quality of life, and social well-being. However, the rise of urbanization around the world and competing priorities for time and attention are driving a reduction of contact with the natural world. At the same time, our overall natural human habitat has experienced decades of an onslaught, with increased pollution and contaminants in our air, water, food supply, and the environment.

A 2017 survey of 12,000 American adults shows that many people have lost a close connection with nature.
More than 50% of Americans spend less than five hours per week in nature.
Children 8 to 12 years old spend three times as many hours with computers and televisions each week as they do playing outside.

SPIRITUAL

An important factor that influences many people’s level of life satisfaction is their sense of connection to the spiritual or sacred. A large volume of research shows that people who are more spiritual have better mental and physical health, and this is despite differences in rituals, beliefs, and one’s personal faith. At the same time, having a sense of purpose in life has proven to be valuable in multiple domains, be it health, wellbeing, or even financial