In the middle of the 20th century, humanity suddenly realized it had… too much food. It wasn’t the only factor shaping our future, of course, but it was definitely one of the biggest — a quiet revolution almost nobody noticed. No flags, no uprisings, no grand speeches — and yet it changed the lives of billions, sparked whole new industries, and flipped paradigms that had been stable for hundreds of thousands of years. Before the 1950s–1960s, human history was basically one long survival manual: hunting, gathering calories, staying warm, dealing with scarcity and seasons. And then came industrial farming, cheap carbs, HFCS in the 1970s, global logistics, food processing, marketing. By the 1980s we were producing more calories than we could possibly eat.
When biology meets abundance — it stumbles. Sugar started killing more people within just 30–40 years than gunpowder ever did. In the US by the 2020s, 38% of adults had metabolic syndrome, and 96 million people were living with prediabetes (CDC). This isn’t about weak willpower — it’s about bodies that never evolved for a world where chips cost less than apples and dopamine comes with a “2-for-1” promo sticker.
Out of this metabolic revolution grew an entirely new continent — well-being. What started as a set of niche practices for the spiritually curious turned into a $450B industry (McKinsey, 2023), and if you count the whole ecosystem, it easily crosses a trillion dollars.
What’s inside that world? Pretty much everything: nutrition, foodtech, sleep, breathing techniques, meditation, cold exposure, contrast therapy, habits, mood apps, psychological tools, coaching, goal-setting, life-structure frameworks. If humans can measure it — someone is building a startup to optimize it.
And in this ocean you’ll find:
— evidence-based methods that actually improve biomarkers;
— semi-proven ones that work for some people, but lack massive RCTs;
— belief-driven practices built on aesthetics or marketing;
— and some truly harmful stuff that’s better avoided entirely.
Well-being often feels like the arms industry — except instead of selling you a new weapon, they’re selling you a “new version of yourself.” The irony is that, for the first time in history, humanity is fighting not for survival but for quality of life.
Why are we drawn to it?
Because well-being was born from abundance. When food is scarce, nobody talks about mindful eating. When people barely sleep, there’s no billion-dollar sleep optimization industry. When society is overwhelmed by anxiety, loneliness, and chronic stress — you get armies of coaches, mood trackers, and meditation apps.
It’s neither good nor bad — it’s simply a new chapter of human evolution in conditions Homo sapiens has never experienced before.
.jpg)
