Wellbeing, health and appearance matter to most people. However, each individual person approaches each of these areas in very different ways. The four ‘Feelgood’ types identified in the «Feelgood Revolution» GDI study explain these approaches. The types are based on questions about individual motivations and the subjective importance of beauty, wellbeing and health, such as “I feel good in my skin, even if all aspects are not perfect” or “I feel that I can influence my own health.” This means the ‘Feelgood’ types are not determined by age, gender or income, but by their attitudes, values and motivation.
Christine Schäfer
Senior Researcher and Speaker, GDI
She analyses social, economic and technological trends, with a focus on food, consumption and retail.
More about the author
The figure below clearly shows which motivations are particularly strong or weak within a group. These z-standardised values do not indicate absolute agreement or disagreement, but instead deviations from the mean. A positive value indicates that a motivation is stronger than average within a cluster, such as intrinsic motivation in the ‘Achiever’ type. Conversely, a negative value indicates a lower level of significance, such as the importance of health amongst ‘Agnostics’.
Welcher Feelgood-Typ sind Sie? Finden Sie es jetzt im GDI-Quiz heraus.
Which ‘Feelgood’ type are you? Find out now in the GDI quiz.
Strugglers – the self-doubters
The Strugglers account for 29% of the population, making them the largest group. They see their bodies as a work in progress and they are in a struggle with themselves. While appearance and health matter to them, they lack a sense of self-efficacy. They believe that they can only control these aspects to a limited extent because too much depends on external factors. Their main driver is not so much their own wellbeing as the question: “How do I appear to others?” They long for external validation to compensate for their inner insecurity.
Strugglers invest a great deal of energy in optimisation and routines, but this does not bring about a lasting increase in their own self-satisfaction. Constant comparison with their peers is almost always to their disadvantage and reinforces the feeling of not being good enough. This creates a frustrating cycle: a great deal of pressure to optimise themselves and minimal satisfaction with their appearance and health.
An everyday example:
Sarah scrolls through her Instagram feed and compares her figure with those of fitness influencers – afterwards she doesn’t feel motivated, but instead frustrated. She invests in products and workouts, but fails to achieve the ‘feel-good sensation.’ For her, beauty is a never-ending competition that she cannot win.
Achievers: the self-optimisers
The ‘Achievers’ make up 26% of the population. They view their bodies as an asset and believe that health and beauty can be enhanced through discipline and significant financial investment.
Achievers also set high standards for themselves and often compare themselves with others. Unlike the Strugglers, however, they do not suffer any adverse effects when comparing themselves to others, but instead use it as an incentive. Self-care and sport are scheduled into their routine which they consistently adhere to. The high level of satisfaction here results from pride in their own discipline and the visible results of their hard work.
An everyday example:
Antonia tracks her sleep, calories and running times, getting real satisfaction from it all. When her smart watch tells her that she has achieved her goals, this validates her efforts and makes her feel capable of achievement.
Balancers: the self-confident
Representing 28% of the population, the Balancers are the second-largest group. They see their bodies as an ally. They have a high level of self-acceptance and a low tendency to compare themselves with others. They need almost no external validation. They see beauty not as a competition, but the visible result of inner wellbeing.
Their health and self-care routines are intrinsically motivated: Balancers look after their bodies and appearance to feel good, not to fulfil expectations. This pragmatic yet mindful approach protects them from the pressure to optimise themselves. They accept age-related and natural imperfections and therefore have similarly high satisfaction ratings to achievers.
An everyday example:
Bruno looks after his skin and goes to the gym, because it’s good for him – not for likes or compliments. He couldn’t care less what other people think of his appearance. His benchmark is inner satisfaction. He sees self-care not as a performance act, but simply as a given.
Agnostics: the self-deniers
Standing at 18%, Agnostics make up the smallest group. They have neither the desire nor the time to deal with ingredients, fitness trends or beauty ideals. They see the body purely as a useful object that has to function. Provided they are in no pain, everything is fine.
While other groups shape, care for or at least consciously accept their bodies, Agnostics generally ignore them. Personal hygiene is an annoying necessity, similar to brushing your teeth: something that is done as quickly as possible, pragmatically and without too much thought. This does not necessarily mean that they steer clear of all beauty or health-related products and services. Solutions that require little effort, produce quick results and can be delegated to specialists are particularly attractive to them. A one-off treatment suits their lifestyle better than a daily routine.
An everyday example:
In the shop, Aaron picks up a random bottle of shower gel that’s on offer. He isn’t interested in the brand, the aroma or any added benefits. When friends talk about fitness goals, he switches off inside. He sees this as a waste of his time.
The ‘Feelgood’ types as customers
The typology clearly demonstrates that there are very different body images and motivations for self-care. While the highly motivated Achievers cherish and care for their bodies, the wellness Agnostics see their bodies as useful objects that have to function pain-free. This raises various practical questions for companies: How can you reach out to people who are craving validation without adding to the pressure they’re already under? How do you reach customers who have little interest in wellness? And how do you appeal to people for whom social comparison is not a relevant motivator?
As wellbeing is anything but an off-the-peg product and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, offerings must be tailored to a heterogeneous, differentiated clientele.
- Strugglers need services and offerings that makes life easier for them rather than creating additional pressure.
- Achievers respond to tangible impact, quality and progress.
- Balancers seek credible solutions that suit their everyday lives but do not make exaggerated promises.
- The best way to reach Agnostics is through simplicity, convenience and clear benefits.
Further target-group-specific implications for industry, the service sector, hospitality companies and retailers can be found in the ‘Feelgood Revolution’ GDI study.