Planning a trip to the States can make us happy

Planning a trip can give happiness

Some psychologists think that traveling to a new place has lots of mental benefits. A 2013 survey, on 485 adults in the United States, associated travel with a higher empathy, attention, energy and concentration. Another research suggests that adjusting to new cultures can also help creativity. But what happens when we plan a trip? Can we enhance our mental health even before leaving the house? Can traveling in a specific country, like the United States, create a positive sensation?

Planning a trip can be entertaining almost as much as the journey itself, and there is research in support of this theory. In 2014 the Cornell University made a study which deepened how arranging an experience (like a trip) can significantly increase the happiness of a person, much more than organizing the purchase of material goods.

Among the many pandemic challenges: quarantine measures reduce considerably our capacity of creating new experiences and connecting with other people. And we need these connections and their social benefits now more than ever.

Although we may not be fiscally close to each other like before, we can still socially interact through vocal chats and videos. But we still need something to talk about, and plans for the future can be perfect topics of discussion to improve social relationships.

The coauthor of the Cornell University study, Matthew Killingsworth, that now is the principal researcher at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, affirms that the planning of the trip promotes an optimistic point of view. “As human beings, we spend much of our mental life living in the future and our vision of the future can be a source of joy if we know that good things are on the way and travelling is something particularly good that we have to expect.”

One of the reasons Killingsworth thinks that planning a trip can be such a positive experience is that trips are temporary. “Since we know that a trip has definite beginning and end, our mind tends to savour it, even before it begins,” he says.

There is another reason why the planning of the trip can bring happiness: we often know enough about a trip to imagine and waiting for it, but there are also enough news and uncertainties to keep our mind interested.

Feed your fantasy with a trip to the Unites States

Who hasn’t imagined themselves walking the streets of Manhattan? Or gambling in a Las Vegas casino? Who has never dreamed of meeting a Hollywood star? Or attending a baseball or soccer game with North American fans?

Furthermore, there is an additional advantage for the Italian citizens, that is they do not need to get a visa, but only an ESTA authorization, to enter the North American territory.

To face the coming months we can let our imagination fly and dream by planning a great trip to the United States of America. Surely the whole process will fill us with expectation and happiness.

 

Translated by Charlotte Ovalle and Elena Gandelli

Reviewed by Prof. Robert Clarke