Health and Wellness
Want to be happy? Take a vacation
Think about your last vacation. You remember the good parts, the joy on the faces of your children, the first big fish caught, not the long lines, tiresome drive or expensive hamburgers.
Those are the memories we all need, said University of Colorado at Boulder psychologist Leaf Van Boven, who studies happiness.
Spending money on life experiences, such as vacations, generally makes people happier than buying material possessions. Why? Simply because we tend to remember the overall experience as happy. Experiences contribute to social relationships and life satisfaction.
To get more out of your vacation, relax when planning where to go. Forget hot new spots or visiting relatives. And pack more into your days, even volunteer your time to help others. You may just want to sit down and relax, but if you spend all your time doing that, you won't be making memories.
Used with permission from www.health-eheadlines.com, © 2007 Write On, Inc.
