The Wellness Industry Has A Loneliness Problem

The world of wellness is booming these days. But if you take a step back, it becomes pretty clear that much of the industry has almost nothing to say about social wellness. Sure, there are group activities and trendy meetups that get advertised as community. But more often than not, they’re just what I would call “social, wellness”—a comma separating two adjacent efforts—rather than “social-wellness,” the kind that actually brings people together in meaningful ways.

The Rise of Run Clubs

Along these lines, I’ve been watching the rise of run clubs in nearly every city. They look great on Instagram, and they do bring people together to get healthier. But I still consider them “social, wellness.” And then there are activities like the steamy sauna rave I saw advertised recently at a luxury resort in Miami. I totally get it. It’s an alternative to bars and clubs, a space where people can gather and feel like they’re doing something “good” for themselves. But here’s the catch: just because you’re doing something in a group doesn’t mean you’re building connection. And a calendar full of wellness-themed events may fill the hours. But it doesn’t cure loneliness.

Wellness Is Still A Luxury Good

Part of the problem is that the current wellness world is still structured around elitism and exclusivity. You need money and time, among other things, to participate. It’s a luxury good, not a public good. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, we should stop pretending it’s a cure-all for deeper struggles. In some cases, it actually compounds the problem. A lot of people out there aren’t really looking to biohack their way to six-pack abs. They’re just trying to feel okay while working a dead-end job, or navigating a complicated family, or coming home to an empty apartment. Their struggle isn’t just physical. It’s emotional. And the current industry doesn’t really know what to do with that.

The Core of True “Social-Wellness”

But this is at the core of true “social-wellness.” It’s not just about being in the same space together. It’s about what you do with each other in that space. And right now, the wellness world is too focused on vibe to focus on connection. There’s no shortage of eucalyptus-scented spaces to stretch, sweat, or self-reflect. But actual social skill-building? Emotional safety? The willingness to hear each other’s messy, unfiltered truths? That’s not on the schedule.

Until the industry understands that spas, supplements, and sweat sessions are too superficial to address deep isolation, it will continue to be a playground for the privileged and also an opportunist’s delight. Loneliness doesn’t disappear because there’s a kombucha bar at your event or because you’re with twenty other people on a group jog. It sticks around until someone actually sees you for who you are, and makes you feel like you belong.

It’s About the How, Not Just the What

We need to start focusing less on giving people things to do, and more on how we help them be with each other. That means addressing the mental side of connection. It’s not just about physical health or productivity. It’s also about emotional intelligence. How do we think about other people? How do we make room for them in our lives? This is where mental health tools like Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can play a role, helping people understand the internal patterns that shape how we relate.

So until the wellness industry is willing to do that deeper work, it’ll keep missing the mark. The wellness revolution will remain incomplete, a little too pretty and a little too empty. And the people who need it most will still be lonely, wondering why their calendar is full but their hearts still feel hollow.

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