Whether your holiday is an active break like skiing, or you just want to relax on a hot beach on a singles holiday, they are a great way to unwind and relax. Now, after 20 years of research, a psychologist has found that they actually make you happier.
Professor Thomas Gilovich, Cornell University professor of psychology, is calling for companies to make it easier for employees to take holidays, stating that for people to become happier, they need to spend their money on holidays and trips.
Gilovich’s study shows that experiences give people more satisfaction than material purchases, as well as helping strangers to bond. He claims that though material possessions create great pleasure at first, they quickly lose their shine. While experiences, like holidays, last for a longer period of time.
Following the 20-year study into the effect of experiences and material possessions on the human psyche, his findings showed that people are more likely to regret a material purchase than experiences, even negative experiences.
One theory he has for the long-lasting effects of an experience is that it is more likely to bring people closer together, while his results showed that you are far more likely to bond with someone who has been on holiday to the same place as you, rather than if you both have the same car.
