The secret to living longer? You’ll find it on holiday

“My guess is that if someone doesn’t sleep a lot at home, then sleeping someplace new might be an opportunity to catch up,” said study co-author Sune Lehmann, professor of social data science at the University of Copenhagen. People who usually sleep well may miss the routines that help them doze off at home, he said.

A 2024 study by American and Dutch researchers found that couples who take holidays that involve novel, interesting or challenging experiences keep the romantic spark in their relationships, resulting in more physical intimacy afterward.

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“Passion can fade even in good relationships,” said study author John K. Coffey, associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University. “But the more new experiences couples had during their holiday, the greater their passion and physical intimacy were after the holiday.”

The key, he said, is to engage in activities that satisfy the innate need to learn and grow, a concept known as self-expansion. You don’t have to “go big” with an expensive adventure, he said. Exploring a new city, visiting a museum or trying different cuisines can make a difference. Even bad experiences like getting lost or missing a connection can bring you closer.

More than the immediate rewards, “holidays provide a buffer against chronic stress and inflammation – both of which wreak havoc on the body,” said Gump. Holidaying turns off the spigot of stress hormones like cortisol and allows the body to reset, restoring equilibrium, he said.

With a total break from work, “you regain lost psychological resources like energy and positive mood and emotions”, said Ryan Grant, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia and lead author of the holiday after-effects review study. Holidays that involve physical activity and socialising with family or friends can be particularly good, he said, since both have been shown to improve health outcomes.

To ensure your holiday packs the maximum wellness punch, experts provided these tips:

• Minimise engagement with work. “During the holiday itself, it is key that [you] mentally disconnect from work as much as possible,” Grant said. Limit the time you spend taking work calls or answering email to once a day or less.

• Be active. Grant’s meta-analysis found that engaging in physical activity during holidays was the top predictor of better health outcomes later. (Social activity was the second most important factor.)

• If it’s hard to get away for a single long holiday, schedule several short ones. Wellness benefits accrue regardless of a holiday’s length, research has shown (though you may get a bigger boost the longer you are away).

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• Savour the memories of your holiday to extend the afterglow. Jessica de Bloom, a professor of psychology and public health at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, who has led several studies investigating the effects of holidays on wellbeing, says this can be very helpful to health. Picture the whitecaps or perfect waves from when you were taking surfing lessons in Puerto Rico or remember the warm wind from an hour-long bike ride you took.

Regardless of the setting or circumstances, Grant says, it’s the breaking up of intense periods of work with long periods of rest and recovery that makes the difference to health and well-being. “We need holidays to take care of ourselves,” he said.

Washington Post

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