[Jihye Choi's Trend]Wellness As Life's Goal...Prepare For The Age Of HQ

Scientific Health Management and Personalized Care
Proactive and "Holistic Management"
Linking Health to Every Business Sector

Breakfast is a salad with two eggs and a scoop of boiled sweet potato. For dinner, she makes sure to have a piece of steak or a whole fish to supplement protein. She does personal training twice a week. It is easy to picture someone in their twenties on a diet, but this is the daily routine of an ordinary woman in her sixties. The old image of a person in their sixties eating only brown rice and soybean paste soup, and limiting exercise to "just walking," is now far removed from reality. Across generations, health management has become the most important area of self-care, and every choice in daily life is turning into a health strategy.

In the era of homo-hundred, health is no longer a nice-to-have condition. In an age where the likelihood of living to 100 years has increased, health is a necessary condition for maintaining quality of life. In a time when knowledge drove success, IQ mattered; in a time when relationships were assets, EQ was important. Today, when wellness has become the goal of life, health intelligence, or HQ, has become an essential competency. Health intelligence refers to the ability to understand one’s health status, search for and evaluate information, and practice self-management by using appropriate products and services. Health is being redefined not as a personal preference or hobby, but as a core asset that determines survival and competitiveness. Consumers are now close to being semi-experts when it comes to health.

First, health management has evolved into "scientific management." Rather than accepting experts’ opinions as they are, consumers compare various sources and studies to find answers that suit them. Even in dieting, instead of simply starving, they design meal plans based on an understanding of principles such as blood sugar control and improving insulin resistance. As genetic testing services become more widespread, people can now make customized choices that take into account individual body types and nutrient absorption characteristics. In running, they calculate heart rate zones and practice "zone 2 training," and when buying cosmetics, they check functional ingredients and clinical data. For mental care, they refer to brain science knowledge and actively respond to mental health issues such as ADHD. Health has moved from the realm of intuition to the realm of data and evidence, and scientific language is permeating everyday choices.

Second, "proactive management" is becoming stronger. Aging is perceived not as an unavoidable fate, but as a manageable biological process. People in their twenties and thirties begin anti-aging procedures and skin care even before aging becomes pronounced. The spread of GLP-1 obesity treatments has lowered the psychological barrier to drug therapy for body-shape management, and people pay attention to preventing hair loss even before symptoms appear. The reality that nutritional supplements and growth hormone management begin as early as infancy shows that health management has expanded across the entire life cycle. Instead of responding after a risk occurs, the default attitude is to predict possibilities and prepare in advance. This is also closely related to a broader social psychology of trying to hedge against future uncertainty.

Third, health has become a target of "holistic management." Morning raves held at 7 a.m., where people hold coffee instead of alcohol, are emblematic scenes of a healthy lifestyle. In the food market, products emphasizing protein and functionality have become mainstream, and beverages are fortified with probiotics or functional ingredients. Managing biometric data through running shoes, recovery shoes, and wearable devices has become routine. Living spaces are also transforming into health platforms by integrating healthcare services and installing rehabilitation swimming facilities, so that the very place where one lives supports health. Comprehensive management that encompasses body, mind, and environment has become the practice of wellness, and health is no longer a concept discussed only around hospitals.

These shifts send a clear message to businesses: from now on, every business is a health business. Not only food and cosmetics, but also home appliances, housing, finance, and even organizational management will struggle to be chosen unless they incorporate elements that align with consumers’ health intelligence. Sophisticated consumers demand scientific evidence and tangible benefits, not just a "healthy vibe." At the same time, a sense of balance that guards against the side effects of over-obsession with health and information overload is also important.

Health is the most private domain and, at the same time, the most powerful market driver. Faced with consumers armed with scientific, proactive, and holistic management, companies must ask themselves: How do our products and services contribute to consumers’ "living well"? In the age of health intelligence, only companies that have prepared an answer to this question will be chosen.

Choi Jihye, Research Fellow at the Consumer Trend Analysis Center, Seoul National University