Young people who reported higher levels of loneliness had more online-only friends / Bader Oleksii/shutterstock
Loneliness is believed to be as unhealthy as obesity and smoking, and last May leading operators told Spa Business how the industry can help (see SB18/2 p58). By adopting a thoughtful, more inclusive approach spas, with their touch-based treatments, mindfulness therapies and group sessions, are perfectly positioned to reach out to those feeling isolated.
While operators would be forgiven for assuming that older adults are the biggest audience, a new survey reveals that young people between the ages of 16 and 24 experience loneliness more keenly.
Around 55,000 participants from 237 countries took part in the BBC’s Loneliness Experiment, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The results show that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds around the world feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘very often’, compared to only 29 per cent of people aged between 65 to 74, and 27 per cent of 75 and overs.
The survey also shows that young people who report higher levels of loneliness have more online-only Facebook friends than those who report lower levels.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Telegraph Claudia Hammond, who instigated the project, says the findings challenge the stereotype of the isolated elderly, suggesting, instead, an epidemic of loneliness amongst the young.
“I wondered where there is something about the stress of modern life, or young people’s ability to cope with it, that makes them feel lonelier. Or is youth simply a time of life when people feel isolation most keenly?” she asked.
“Young people today have social media. They are more connected than ever before. But this can bring its own problems. If you’re feeling lonely, looking at pictures of other people appearing to have endless fun isn’t going to help with those feelings of isolation.”
Spa Business identified loneliness as an industry trend in 2014: http://lei.sr/H5P3A. It also reported on the impact of loneliness and how spas can position themselves to help address the problem in more depth in issue 2 2015: http://lei.sr/3v3r8 and issue 2 2018: http://lei.sr/H3K1p
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 1
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Event saunas, sunlight therapy
and health and happiness retreats
feature in our programming series
Interview: Marc Cohen
Dr Marc Cohen is launching an extreme
bathing retreat and writing children’s
books. He talks to Jane Kitchen
Promotional feature: Vital Tech
Infrared technology is growing in popularity, Vital Tech’s Alexandra Gavsevitch
and Serge Parienti explain how it works
Focus on: Equine therapy
What is equine therapy and how
can spas tap into horsepower?
Kathleen Whyman finds out
Wellness: Chill out
Is going sub-zero the next big thing?
Kath Hudson takes a closer look
at the benefits of cryotherapy
Promotional feature: The Wellness
Noha Khalil of The Wellness discusses how
gym and spa elements are increasingly
coming together through design to
deliver outstanding fitness concepts
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Young people who reported higher levels of loneliness had more online-only friends / Bader Oleksii/shutterstock
Loneliness is believed to be as unhealthy as obesity and smoking, and last May leading operators told Spa Business how the industry can help (see SB18/2 p58). By adopting a thoughtful, more inclusive approach spas, with their touch-based treatments, mindfulness therapies and group sessions, are perfectly positioned to reach out to those feeling isolated.
While operators would be forgiven for assuming that older adults are the biggest audience, a new survey reveals that young people between the ages of 16 and 24 experience loneliness more keenly.
Around 55,000 participants from 237 countries took part in the BBC’s Loneliness Experiment, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The results show that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds around the world feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘very often’, compared to only 29 per cent of people aged between 65 to 74, and 27 per cent of 75 and overs.
The survey also shows that young people who report higher levels of loneliness have more online-only Facebook friends than those who report lower levels.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Telegraph Claudia Hammond, who instigated the project, says the findings challenge the stereotype of the isolated elderly, suggesting, instead, an epidemic of loneliness amongst the young.
“I wondered where there is something about the stress of modern life, or young people’s ability to cope with it, that makes them feel lonelier. Or is youth simply a time of life when people feel isolation most keenly?” she asked.
“Young people today have social media. They are more connected than ever before. But this can bring its own problems. If you’re feeling lonely, looking at pictures of other people appearing to have endless fun isn’t going to help with those feelings of isolation.”
Spa Business identified loneliness as an industry trend in 2014: http://lei.sr/H5P3A. It also reported on the impact of loneliness and how spas can position themselves to help address the problem in more depth in issue 2 2015: http://lei.sr/3v3r8 and issue 2 2018: http://lei.sr/H3K1p
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 1
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Event saunas, sunlight therapy
and health and happiness retreats
feature in our programming series
Interview: Marc Cohen
Dr Marc Cohen is launching an extreme
bathing retreat and writing children’s
books. He talks to Jane Kitchen
Promotional feature: Vital Tech
Infrared technology is growing in popularity, Vital Tech’s Alexandra Gavsevitch
and Serge Parienti explain how it works
Focus on: Equine therapy
What is equine therapy and how
can spas tap into horsepower?
Kathleen Whyman finds out
Wellness: Chill out
Is going sub-zero the next big thing?
Kath Hudson takes a closer look
at the benefits of cryotherapy
Promotional feature: The Wellness
Noha Khalil of The Wellness discusses how
gym and spa elements are increasingly
coming together through design to
deliver outstanding fitness concepts
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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