Before you book your next trip, you need to make sure that the time of year and where you plan to stay has a positive impact on your well-being.
- 174 people answered a questionnaire on their state of mind before their departure, on their return and one month after their trip to Benin.
- Traveling to a tropical region increases psychological well-being.
- “Time of year moderated the longevity of the positive effects of the holidays on mental health.”
As the summer season approaches, many are beginning to plan their getaways for the coming months. “The positive effect of vacations on mental well-being is an intuitive explanation for why people travel so much to the tropics, despite the financial, environmental costs and potential health issues. However, scientific evidence based on this hypothesis remains limited”, said researchers from the University of Helsinki (Finland). This is why they carried out a study to find out more about the impact of holidays in the sun on the psychological distress or well-being of travelers.
Evaluate the state of mind of 174 adults before and after their trip
As part of the work, published in the journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Publicscientists recruited 174 people, during a clinical trial for a vaccine, who left for Benin for 12 days. “73% were women and were around 40 years old”, the scientists said. The team assessed participants’ psychological distress using a questionnaire about their state of mind. The volunteers filled it in before their departure, on their return and one month after their trip. Based on the measured data, 24% of adults reported psychological distress before the vacation, 10% immediately after, and 16% thirty days after their getaway.
Traveling to a tropical destination during the winter is good for morale
“We found that a stay in a tropical region increases psychological well-being, without difference by gender or age. The beneficial effect subsided within a month, but did not completely return. to the state prior to the holidays”, can we read in the results. A total of 71% of adults surveyed suffered from tourista or traveller’s diarrhea, but this did not have a negative impact on their morale.
“In this study, going during the winter period had long-lasting psychological benefits, which may be related to the fact that the participants came from a Nordic country where the winters are long and dark. As a result, we observed that the time of year moderated the longevity of the positive effects of the holidays on mental health,” explained the authors.