AFTER the second evening in a row with good friends, food and drink that carried on well into the small hours, I woke Sunday morning feeling happy, if not especially in optimum health.

Just as well I hadn’t signed a wellness contract, I mused over a cup of tea.

Because to my surprise, wellness contracts actually exist.

They are more common in the US (of course) where, for example, some universities set aside student accommodation for those who agree to specific terms and conditions deemed to constitute a healthy lifestyle.

Apparently some employers too have staff wellness contracts.

All this focus on being healthy might just be making us a bit sick, according to the authors of a recently published book, The Wellness Syndrome.

Their research casts a sinister light on Western society's infatuation with individual health and self-improvement. Looking after yourself is one thing, they say. Being smug and moralistic about it is another and might well be a distraction from real social and political engagement.

Has wellness gone too far?

Certainly there is a middle ground between taking some responsibility for your health – at the very least we can do our bit for the sake of our families and avoid being an unnecessary drain on healthcare resources – and spending hours tracking gym sessions and poring over graphs produced on a fitness programme app.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has been gathering data on wellness for nearly five years now, on the government’s premise that economic figures are not enough to evaluate the success of public policy.

An ONS report released a couple weeks ago looked at the connection between relationships and well- being.

Friends were described by those surveyed as people we confide in and have fun with, those who inspire and guide us. At one point it even states that not one but two university studies have concluded that – wait for it – the strength of our relationships might just contribute more to our sense of wellbeing than do minutia of diet and exercise. Well, indeed, of course it’s not a good idea to spend every weekend overindulging but I am pretty sure no one needs a wellness contract or a special gadget to lead a healthy and happy life.

Good friends are one of life’s best tonics, especially those who wouldn’t dream of boring you with how many steps they logged on some wrist device.