Wealth of Ecowellness Biohacking
Wealth of Ecowellness Biohacking

Author(s): Julia M. Puaschunder
Subject(s): Business Economy / Management, Welfare services
Published by: Scientia Moralitas Research Institute
Keywords: Bioasset; Biohacking; Banking; Big data; Economics; Economics of Arts;
Summary/Abstract: The contemporary finance literature is focused on monetary assets and financial instruments. In a holistic approach, this article draws attention to humane features of capital in outlining the influence of a healthy lifestyle and biohacking on personal wealth. The COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness for healthy lifestyles as panacea to avoid viral complications as well as drove people to consult online information sources about healthcare as never before in the history of humankind. Previous work has connected health and capital on the individual, nuclear family level, corporate community standards and conduct as well as the overall economy. This paper focuses on the new trend of Ecowellness Biohacking. The term Ecowellness derives from ecological (as pertaining to nature) wellness. Wellness became prominent in the 1980s as a combination of Wellbeing and Fitness. Wellness is thereby the active practice of healthy habits (such as sports but also nutrition and mindfulness) on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes. Ecowellness stresses the connection with nature for the wellbeing. Active Ecowellness trends include the transformation of the healthcare system through holistic approaches in nutrition, prevention, supplements and sports. Biohacking has recently become a prominent term in integrating biology, genetics, neuroscience and nutrition to enhance physical and mental performance as well as improve health and well-being. As a newly forming phenomenon since the early 2000s, biohacking comprises multiple fields such as nutrigenomics, do-it-yourself-biology and grinders. Nutrigenomics studies the effects of nutrients on the expression of an individual’s genetic makeup and encompasses nutritional factors that protect the genome from damage. Do-it-yourself biology (DIY biology) is a biotechnological social movement, in which laymen/women are studying biological effects of life sciences with traditional research methods on their own. Do-it-yourself biology thereby comprises of bioinformatics projects that use programming; genetic engineering that makes use of big data from biology; open source medical experimentation; grinders who use technological implants or introduce chemicals to the body to influence body functions; as well as mostly modern tech-supported arts to achieve body outcomes. As the Ecowellness Biohacking trend is currently evolving, little attention has been paid to the economic impetus of Ecowellness Biohacking. Some suggestions are given about the business model of health-and-wellness-lifestyle coaching, but no clear economic model exists today that helps evaluate and discount the long-term value of Ecowellness Biohacking for the individual and society. This article first discusses the new trend of Ecowellness Biohacking to then estimate some of the positive impacts of the trend on the overall health, wellbeing and monetary success of individuals as well as the economic influence of Ecowellness Biohacking. The discussion is dedicated to address the potential but also the risks associated with this new trend of Ecowellness Biohacking.

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