Sociology

The Wellness Syndrome

Name: The Wellness Syndrome
Rating: 4.8 (1000 reviews)
Author: Carl Cederström and André Spicer

Carl Cederström and André Spicer

30 minAudio9 insights

What you'll learn

•How wellness evolved from a personal choice to a pervasive moral ideology.
•The impact of workplace wellness programs and dieting on social behavior.
•The rise and critique of positive psychology and happiness metrics.
•The pressures of neoliberal employability and self-tracking culture.
•Forms of resistance to wellness norms and their complexities.
•The paradoxes of happiness, pleasure, and joy in contemporary life.
•The social and political consequences of the wellness syndrome.

Who should read this

✓Sociologists and cultural theorists interested in health and society
✓Professionals in wellness, coaching, and corporate health programs
✓Students of neoliberalism and contemporary capitalism
✓Readers curious about the psychology of happiness and self-help culture

About this book

A critical exploration of how wellness has become a pervasive moral ideology that shapes individual behavior, social norms, and political governance in neoliberal society.

Did You Know?

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The term 'biomorality' used in the book was elegantly coined by philosopher Alenka Zupančič.

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Audio Summary

Section 1

Wellness as a Moral Contract: The New Social Covenant

3:45

10 Sections

Preview: Wellness as a Moral Contract: The New Social Covenant

Imagine a world where living well is no longer just a personal choice but a societal demand, a contract we all silently sign every day. This is the world of wellness today — not merely a pursuit of health but a moral imperative woven deeply into the fabric of our lives. At universities across the United States, thousands of students are asked to sign 'wellness contracts,' pledging to maintain a substance-free lifestyle, participate in community events, and uphold the philosophy of wellness. These contracts symbolize a profound shift: wellness is no longer optional but a binding social covenant.

To be a good person today means to be healthy and happy, and failure to meet these demands often leads to feelings of guilt and exclusion. This moralization of wellness is not confined to campuses. It extends into workplaces, prisons, and even the military, where mindfulness training is used to enhance emotional resilience. Wellness programs promise holistic benefits — physical, emotional, social, and spiritual — but they also impose a new kind of social control, where individuals are held responsible for their health outcomes, regardless of societal conditions.

Consider the paradox of this wellness command: it encourages us to enjoy life, to seek pleasure, yet imposes an impossible standard that many find anxiety-inducing. The more we obey the injunction to be well, the more we feel guilty when we fall short. This creates a cycle of self-surveillance and self-blame, where the body becomes a site of moral judgment.

This first insight sets the stage for understanding how wellness shapes contemporary life. From here, we will journey into the heart of the health culture itself — the workouts, diets, and corporate wellness programs that define our daily routines, and how they both empower and constrain us.