The Youth Lab

Every January comes with the same cultural script: resolutions, resets, reinvention. But for young people, the new year isn’t about wiping the slate clean - it’s about making life more liveable.
Rather than chasing extremes or rigid routines, young people are approaching wellness in a way that feels grounded, social and sustainable. Less “all or nothing”, more “what actually works”. From how they drink, move, eat, rest and work, Gen Z is reframing wellbeing as something that fits into real life, not something that takes it over.

As 2026 begins, we’re seeing a set of clear behaviours emerge across Ireland’s younger generations. Together, they point to a more balanced, connected and human definition of wellness - one designed to ease the new year blues, not intensify them.

1. Not Dry - Moderated January

The old script of “Dry January” is being rewritten. For many young people, total abstinence feels too binary, so they’re opting for something more sensible and sustainable. Instead of all-or-nothing resets, “zebra striping” - alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on a night out, has emerged as a practical, social way to cut intake without missing out on connection. By pacing drinks and choosing moments to sip water or no-low alternatives between beers or cocktails, young adults can halve their alcohol consumption while still enjoying the night.

This moderated mindset aligns with broader shifts in how Gen Z relates to alcohol. Rather than rejecting drinking entirely, they’re more likely to be selective about when, where and how they drink, choosing quality over quantity and purpose over obligation. The rise of spirits like tequila - reported as one of the few spirits categories to grow in early 2025 due in part to its lower-calorie perception - signals an appetite towards social behaviour while still conscious of alcohol and its effects. This mirrors broader global thinking around balanced health, where pleasure and wellbeing coexist rather than oppose.

2. Wellness Isn’t Quiet - It’s Social

If 2024 was the year people rediscovered the value of communal experiences, 2025 and 2026 are amplifying that truth. Wellness is no longer a solitary pursuit; it’s a social practice.

From fitness communities to shared travel experiences, young people are moving wellness into public spaces and group environments. Young people are continuing to prioritise connection alongside health because wellness without shared experience feels incomplete. With social fitness taking centre stage, strava reports that Gen Z are 75% more likely than Gen X to say their main motivation for training is for a race or an event. In Ireland, this plays out in rising interest for competitive pursuits - with this year's HYROX event in Dublin boasting attendance figures of over 17,000 people, with doubles selling out in just 25 minutes.

3. The Rise and Rise of Tracked Wellness

Wellness tech has quietly embedded itself into everyday life. For young people, tracking isn’t about optimisation or perfection - it’s about understanding how their bodies actually work. Movement, recovery, sleep, stress: trackers have evolved from fitness accessories into daily wellbeing tools, helping people spot patterns rather than push limits.

The data backs it up. Garmin’s 2025 Connect Report shows users logged 8% more activities year-on-year, alongside rising engagement with biometrics like sleep and stress. Wellness isn’t just about doing more anymore - it’s about recovering better.

Just like other wellness conventions, tracking hasn’t stayed personal. Platforms like Strava have turned fitness data into social connection. In 2025, Gen Z fuelled major growth as they prioritised real-world movement over screen time. Run clubs on the platform grew by 1.5x in one year, with community features like Routes taking off, and users exchanged more than 14 billion kudos. With downloads up 80% year-on-year, Strava’s rise signals a broader shift: fitness isn’t just tracked - it’s shared.

4. The Workplace enters the wellness sphere

Workplace culture is shifting, and Gen Z is driving it. This isn’t just about flexible hours; it’s a full rethink of what work-life balance actually means.

In Ireland, up to one in three workers didn’t use their full annual leave last year, a clear sign of an “always on” culture. But Gen Z is pushing back - loudly. They’re drawing firmer boundaries, prioritising life outside of work, and forcing employers to rethink how roles, rest and wellbeing are designed.

That shift is backed by appetite. Almost seven in ten Irish workers say workplace wellness has become more important to them in the past two to three years. What they value differs: men are more likely to prioritise physical wellbeing support (62% of men vs 43% of women), while women place greater importance on mental health support (66% of women vs 50% of men).

Where employers resist change, new workarounds are emerging. Enter “coffee badging” - showing face at the office, grabbing a coffee, then heading off to actually get work done elsewhere.

5. Sleep Isn’t Optional - It’s Foundational

If wearables have taught us anything this year, it’s this: sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s the baseline. In fact, sleep now ranks second among the top three wellness priorities for Gen Z.

WHOOP’s 2025 Year in Review shows Gen Z are leading the charge, logging more sleep than any other age group and averaging just over seven hours a night. Rest is no longer an afterthought - it’s being treated as a performance behaviour. Garmin’s global data backs this up, with average sleep scores landing in the low 70s: “fair to good”, but with clear appetite to do better.

And this mindset shift doesn’t stop at tech. It’s showing up on shop shelves too, with the global sleep supplement market projected to grow by 5.2% by 2030 - a sign that rest has officially entered the wellness mainstream.