Daily Signals 20.11.2019

Signals

The School of Life explores the link between mood and food, WhatsApp unveils mobile storefronts for brands and why snacking is changing how we eat.

A cookbook that explores food’s emotional impact

Thinking & Eating cookbook by The School of Life
Thinking & Eating cookbook by The School of Life
Thinking & Eating cookbook by School of Life

London – The School of Life has published a collection of recipes for emotional wellbeing.

Combining philosophy and psychology, Thinking & Eating posits the idea that food plays a vital role in our emotional health as well as our physical health. The book highlights the connections between what we feel and what we eat, building on notions such as ‘comfort food’ and ‘stress eating’ in order to suggest how various ingredients can alter our moods and emotions.

Exploring the ways in which food and drink intersect with our psychological needs, recipes are arranged according to the emotional states they inspire. ‘We want to show how ingredients and dishes can be supporters of certain ideas, emotions and states of mind that best help us confront the challenges of existence,’ says The School of Life.

A menu of conversation starters also seeks to promote fulfilling discussions around the table. Similarly, our forthcoming macrotrend, Home Eatertainment – launching here on 22 November – examines how food and drink’s role in our fundamental need to belong is changing the way we eat, drink and entertain at home.

This hotel offers a meal plan for post-holiday blues

Holy City Detox Package, Zero George Street Hotel, Charleston Holy City Detox Package, Zero George Street Hotel, Charleston
Holy City Detox Package, Zero George Street Hotel, Charleston Holy City Detox Package, Zero George Street Hotel, Charleston

Charleston – Boutique hotel Zero George has partnered with meal delivery service Sakara to extend its relationship with guests beyond check-out.

The meal plan, which aims to help guests ease back into healthy eating routines after their vacation, is part of Zero George’s new Holy City Detox package. As part of a minimum two-night stay, the full package includes individual and group fitness classes by The Works, dinner for two at Zero Restaurant, a copy of One Part Plant, a cookbook by wellness expert Jessica Murnane, and a three-day meal plan from Sakara, delivered to guests’ homes after they return.

‘We wanted to do a package that extended when guests get back home,’ Vinson Petrillo, executive chef at Zero, tells Travel + Leisure. ‘In essence, you come to Zero George and have a completely indulgent culinary experience and then you get ‘on track’ with The Works and are already set up for success when you get home with Sakara. It alleviates the post-vacation blues and gives travellers something to look forward to when getting back.’

By looking to support guests in their wellness efforts after their stay and encourage longer-term thinking, Zero George is tapping into shifts we identified in our Conscious Deceleration macrotrend.

WhatsApp moves towards chat commerce

WhatsApp Catalogue

Global – The messaging app has introduced a catalogue feature allowing WhatsApp Business users to showcase and share products via a mobile storefront.

According to WhatsApp, the tool will enable people to browse and discover products within the app. Previously, businesses had to send product photos individually and were required to repeatedly provide information. With the addition of this feature, however, customers can now see full product catalogues without having to exit the app or visit a website.

While transactions still take place outside the app, businesses can add information including price, description and product code for each item in their catalogue. To save storage space on the phones of both businesses and consumers, all of this is also hosted by WhatsApp. The tool, which is now available to businesses in Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the UK and the US, will be rolled out globally soon.

As we explore in our Shoppable Social market, social commerce continues to grow as new technologies and in-platform features transform the way consumers buy and interact with products.

Stat: Snacking is replacing mealtimes

A new report sheds light on snacking as a growing behaviour worldwide. As per Mondelēz International’s State of Snacking report, snacking is on the rise as more consumers opt for snacks over meals. Globally, six in 10 adults say they prefer to eat small meals throughout the day, rather than a few larger ones. Among Millennials, that number rises to 70%.

For 87% of adults, convenience ranks as the top driver for snack choices, followed by quality (85%). Health is another driver, with 80% of consumers looking for healthy, balanced bites and 71% saying snacking helps them control their hunger and manage their calorie intake throughout the day.

For more on how snacking is changing our relationship with food, keep an eye out for our upcoming Snacking Market, launching in December.

Previous Daily Signals Articles
Netflix’s Famous Last Words signals a new era of digital legacy

Daily Signals

Netflix’s Famous Last Words signals a new era of digital legacy

Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and conservationist passed away this week. An interview she recorded for Netflix’s new series Famous Last ...
Technology : Legacy : Longevity
Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight analyst Seyi Od...
Foresight Friday : Content Creation : Media
Stat: Americans’ trust in media declines to record low

Daily Signals

Stat: Americans’ trust in media declines to record low

Media : Trust : Consumer Behaviour
London welcomes the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture

Daily Signals

London welcomes the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture

The world’s first permanent museum dedicated to youth culture is set to open in Camden, London, in December 2025.
Youth : Culture : Museum
Swedish insurer hacks social media algorithms with mental health anthem

Daily Signals

Swedish insurer hacks social media algorithms with mental health anthem

Swedish insurer Länsförsäkringar Göteborg och Bohuslän has launched Detoxify, a subversive campaign that uses music to retrain harmful social media...
Sweden : Social Media : Algorithms
Stat: Gen Z shuns the values most desired by hiring managers

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z shuns the values most desired by hiring managers

New research from behavioural-science company Becoming You Labs reveals that only a small fraction of American Gen Z hold the three main values tha...
Youth : Gen Z : Work
Stella McCartney debuts plant-based feathers at Paris Fashion Week

Daily Signals

Stella McCartney debuts plant-based feathers at Paris Fashion Week

At Paris Fashion Week, Stella McCartney unveiled a striking alternative to bird feathers: plant-based Fevvers.
Stella McCartney : Fevvers : Feathers
Pedestrians are walking faster and lingering less in public spaces

Daily Signals

Pedestrians are walking faster and lingering less in public spaces

Pedestrians in American cities are moving faster and spending less time lingering in public spaces, according to a new study from MIT’s Senseable C...
MIT : Wellness : Design
Stat: Taylor Swift’s new album movie breaks US box office

Daily Signals

Stat: Taylor Swift’s new album movie breaks US box office

Taylor Swift’s latest project, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, turned a listening event into a box office hit, earning £24.6m ($33m, €28....
Pop Culture : Advertising : Media
Chanel’s le19M brings Parisian craftsmanship to Tokyo

Daily Signals

Chanel’s le19M brings Parisian craftsmanship to Tokyo

Chanel’s le19M has landed in Tokyo with La Galerie du 19M Tokyo, an exhibition that unites Parisian artisans and Japanese craftspeople in a celebra...
Luxury : Fashion : Design
You have 0 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN