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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Magazine article
Optimising is just perfectionism in disguise. Here’s why that’s a problem
The Conversation, Vol.16 October 2025
2025
Appears in The Conversation
Abstract
If you regularly scroll health and wellness content online, you’ve no doubt heard of optimising.
Optimisation usually means striving to make something the best it can be – the “optimal” version. A decade ago, it was mainly used to talk about workplace strategy, describing how a positive mindset might increase workers’ productivity.
But more recently it’s exploded in health messaging, not only among influencers and brands who want to sell us something, but also in government public health initiatives and research.
We’re now encouraged to optimise almost anything: our diets, sleep, brain health, gut biome, workout routines and even our lifespan.
Details
- Title
- Optimising is just perfectionism in disguise. Here’s why that’s a problem
- Authors
- Catherine Houlihan - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
- Publication details
- The Conversation, Vol.16 October 2025
- Publisher
- Conversation Media Group
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.64628/AA.9n67fk74y
- ISSN
- 2201-5639
- Copyright note
- © The Conversation Media Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991183645602621
- Output Type
- Magazine article
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1 Record Views