Proof that travel makes us happier !

To well-seasoned travellers, it will hardly come as a surprise that exploring the world makes us happy.

There's a very logical assumption that most people make when spending their money: that because a physical object will last longer, it will make us happier for a longer time than a one-off experience.
Now we have research that shows travel makes us happier for longer than buying the things we want.

Psychology professor Thomas Gilovich has shown that we experience the same increase in happiness when we buy something we want and when we go travelling. But - and here’s the most important point - the amount of happiness we derive from our purchase falls over time, whereas the memories of our travelling experience continue to supply us with happiness hormones for much longer.

According to Dr. Gilovich, the main impediment to happiness is adaptation. The reality is that when we buy something we really want, as soon as it becomes ordinary and unexciting to us, the level of life satisfaction we feel falls.

Every new memory, on the other hand, becomes a real source of joy that stays with us for our whole lives.

And imagine how many memories our travels have created!

Going on travel trips, learning new skills, and even partaking in extreme sports are all ideal sources of happiness.

Another reason for the happiness factor is that shared experiences connect us more to other people than shared consumption. You’re much more likely to feel connected to someone you went on holiday with, than someone who was with you when you bought a pair of shoes.

Gilovich’s research shows that even if someone wasn’t with you when you had a particular experience, you’re much more likely to bond over a shared experience. So if you have both separately hiked up Machu Picchu, you will feel a greater connection.

"Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods," says Gilovich. "You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences."
The study even shows that if you had a bad experience – say you lost your luggage - once you have the chance to talk about it, the assessment of that experience goes up.
Gilovich attributes this to the fact that something that might have been stressful or scary in the past can become a funny story to tell at a party or be looked back on as an invaluable character-building experience.

 (Allison Wallace - November 15, 2016)