February 28, 2020

8 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of Traveling

Are you longing to disconnect from your routine life? Or are you excited about attending next week’s business conference overseas? It’s certainly a great idea to pack your bags and go globe-trotting!

Traveling, in general, isn’t only fun but also benefits your overall health. Ample research and scientific studies prove that traveling is a remarkably tranquil endeavor, affecting you positively.

1)   Traveling Alleviates Stress -

Traveling brings about a change of setting, making you feel relaxed. A different setting means new pictures, either of Mother Nature or vibrant, urban life, letting you get rid of stressful thoughts.

According to a scientific survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA), vacations or recreational travel help overcome stress as well as negative feelings by taking us out of stressful situations, surroundings, and activities. Interestingly, the positive effects of a vacation stay for weeks after returning from the trip.

So, traveling isn’t only about visiting new places but also about getting away from the old ones. 

2)   Traveling Increases Productivity

While traveling around, you tend to plan your entire day and do all the tasks promptly for having maximum fun. This way, traveling makes you more productive, as you abandon all your stress and laziness. 

A study conducted at a German university finds that while vacations disengage you from work, they give you more strength in stressful situations and also increase your productivity and engagement at work. While long trips provide great relief, even a two-day affair with a peaceful getaway provides appreciable work-stress recovery.

3)   Traveling Helps to Combat Depression

Although depression severely affects mental health, you’ll certainly feel refreshed if you spend quality time traveling somewhere. Traveling to new places gives not only immense pleasure but also forms new, long-lasting bonds with fellow-travelers. Several people undergoing depression have confirmed that traveling has helped them to naturally combat their depression. 

So, make it a point to travel more, and keep your mental health in good shape. This way you can also avoid overuse of antidepressants and opt for a healthier cure.

Research shows that women holidaying a minimum of two times every year have excellent mental health.

4)   Traveling Spreads Joy

Traveling involves discovering new things and brings with it tons of excitement, making you a much happier person. A sense of achievement combined with the dizzy feeling of having new experiences certainly boosts happiness levels, helping you to spread joy among your near and dear ones.

For instance, it’s seen that women traveling frequently are happier in their married lives. Even more, interestingly, your happiness will increase from simply planning a vacation.

A Cornell University study shows that anticipating your vacation gives you more happiness than literally taking it. So, you can experience the happiest aspect of traveling way before your trip begins. 

5)   Traveling Improves Cognitive Function 

Traveling for business as well as leisure creates a change in your daily schedule, introducing new aspects for your mental focus. For instance, understanding new routes, learning different office cultures, habituating yourselves with the new accommodation, and handling your trip budget while traveling all vitalize your mental capacities, giving your brain fresh or different tasks to attend to.

This way you can come up with better novel ideas even after the trip, once you’re back home, and experience increased creativity. Scientific studies conducted at Columbia Business School prove that traveling, particularly, abroad increases cognitive flexibility, what with effective engagement in and adaptation to cultural diversity. 

Needless to say, someone living abroad and not engaging with the locals will not get much of a creative boost as compared to someone traveling abroad and genuinely engaging with them. 

6)   Traveling Reduces Anxiety 

When you experience a lot of anxiety in your daily lives, you feel uneasy and rush to complete things unnecessarily. Traveling gets you to concentrate on new things, thus reducing your anxiety buildup. Also, not making a rigid travel plan lets you have a feeling of freedom and appreciably lowers your anxiety.

This way, traveling also prevents overexerting your hearts. A heart study conducted in Boston and Maryland proves that not taking a holiday for years together will make you more susceptible to heart failures than if you travel annually.

7)   Traveling Boosts Confidence

Doing something all by yourself naturally ups your confidence as well as self-esteem. Also, trying your hand at new things makes your personality appear more charismatic and lively. This newly-gained confidence also improves your performance at work. 

Scientific surveys conducted across the globe reveal that backpacking is not only fun but also greatly builds self-confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills. This way you can heighten your ability to perform well despite challenges. 

8)   Traveling Improves Your Mood

While traveling, we learn that the world involves many more things than only our daily concerns. This knowledge increases optimism, develops a realistic approach, and ultimately, you’ll master the art of patience.

So, traveling elevates your mood, just like the sweet-smelling blanton bourbon, letting you relax from time to time. Research proves that such pleasurable experiences increase mood-enhancing serotonin levels in the brain, making you realize the beauty of the world around you.

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Conclusion

So, now you know that traveling has clear, scientifically proven vital health benefits. Don’t waste any more time and start packing!

 

Tags: News Travel



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