Thinking anew on taking holidays

We could get more benefit from our holidays if we took shorter breaks more frequently, writes WILLIAM REVILLE

We could get more benefit from our holidays if we took shorter breaks more frequently, writes WILLIAM REVILLE

I PLAN TO start a three-week holiday later this month and I am greatly looking forward to it. Almost everyone believes that holidays are good for both the body and the mind, but what does the science of psychology say? The psychology of holidays is reviewed by Christian Jarrett in the Psychologist, August 2011.

When people on holiday are asked what kind of mood they are in, about 90 per cent give positive answers, regardless of age or background. But the strength of the positive mood varies depending on the stage of the holiday. The positive mood is generally less pronounced during the two-day “travel and settling-in phase” at the start of a three-week holiday, and is most evident during the holiday’s “core phase” (days four to 16). Spirits are lower near the end of a holiday (days 17 and 18) and higher again in the “rejuvenation phase”, the final 10 per cent of the holiday period.

Interestingly, people on holidays of three to six days report a more positive mood than those on shorter or longer breaks. Perhaps a holiday lasting about a week is long enough to enjoy and short enough to minimise any negatives, such as arguing with companions, getting irritated with hotel accommodation, and so on.

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Jarrett explains a curious but well-established phenomenon called “the rosy-view effect”, whereby people generally look forward to their holidays and, later, remember enjoying them, far more than they actually enjoy them in real time. The reason for this, apparently, is that the many letdowns and negative distractions that occur during a holiday are quickly forgotten. The “rosy-view effect” is familiar in other contexts apart from holiday situations. For example, memories of the pain of labour quickly fade in a mother’s mind when she holds a newborn in her arms.

Some people, about 5 per cent, suffer more from illness when on holiday (and even on weekends) than when at work. Lifestyles change somewhat on holidays, with more or less coffee or alcohol being drunk and sleep patterns being different from usual. Holidaymakers have time to tune into small aches and pains that they may not have noticed when distracted by work.

Epidemiological studies suggest that holidays reduce the risk of heart problems long term. However, in cases of pre-existing heart problems, holidays may trigger a heart attack. This seems to be related to the stress of travel during the first day or two, or the stress induced later by uncomfortable accommodation, such as living in a tent or a cramped caravan, or by a disappointing hotel room or unhelpful hotel staff.

Most people return from holidays with enhanced feelings of wellbeing and resume their work with gusto. Unfortunately this feeling of enhanced wellbeing fades away after a week or two. Therefore it might be better for us if we took short holidays more frequently throughout the year rather than a single long summer holiday.

Sunlight has a positive effect on mood and restricted hours of daylight have a negative effect. Many people, particularly as they get older, find our Irish winters very long because of the short daylight hours. I don’t like getting up in the mornings in the dark and driving home from work in the dark, and certainly I have had enough of this by Christmas. After Christmas, too, we still have a couple more months of this to face. I think that a short break in southern latitudes with longer daylight hours is a good idea soon after Christmas.

Some people who work in high-pressure jobs find it difficult to switch off and enjoy a holiday. They report intense boredom when not working, and often feel like sleeping a lot. A good strategy is to pre-plan activities to undertake on the holiday: guided tours, hillwalking, trail-trekking, sailing, and so on. “Happiness is a ticked-off list,” as Margaret Thatcher said. And of course you can always bring those books on holiday that you haven’t time to read during your busy work schedule.

Moderation and balance is the key to almost everything. Some people might think that the ideal situation would be to spend all their time on holiday, but this would not work well. We need to feel that we are productive and useful. As George Bernard Shaw said: “A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell.”


William Reville is a professor of biochemistry and is public awareness of science officer at University College Cork. See understandingscience.ucc.ie