Measuring the lasting happiness boost from holidays
Measuring What Was Once Only Felt
For decades, researchers studied the psychological benefits of relaxation and leisure activities in general — reading, for example, was well-documented. But vacations themselves received patchy scientific attention. Psychologists lacked a direct method to observe what holiday-goers only described anecdotally: the distinct mental reset that happens away from daily routines. “From a psychological perspective, that separation is quite important,” says Nanxi Yan, a psychologist at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. [1]
That gap has now been filled. A 2025 meta-analysis by Ryan Grant at the University of Georgia examined 32 separate studies and found that the average mood boost from a holiday begins before travelers even leave home, building during the anticipation phase. [2] Those good feelings remain highly elevated for at least 21 days after returning, and may not return to baseline for another three weeks. This is the first time researchers have directly observed the timeline of holiday-induced wellbeing using aggregated data across multiple studies.
The measurement method reveals something previously only calculated: the anticipation phase itself has measurable value. Graeme McLean, a behavioral scientist at the University of St Andrews Business School in the UK, confirms that merely anticipating an upcoming vacation can boost wellbeing. “It’s better to book early!” he says. The planning and looking-forward phase, once dismissed as mere daydreaming, now stands as a legitimate psychological intervention.
The Ethical Dimension of Choosing Happiness
The findings open a broader societal question: which kind of happiness should we pursue on holiday? Behavioral scientist Graeme McLean distinguishes between hedonic wellbeing — enjoyment and pleasure from lounging on a beach, eating nice food, or staying in a lovely hotel — and eudaimonic wellbeing, which concerns personal growth, sense of purpose, and meaning. The ancient Greek principle of eudaimonia, or “human flourishing,” now has empirical backing.
McLean and his colleague Mohammed Aldossary at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia studied 462 holiday-makers and found that the boost in hedonic wellbeing faded quickly, while eudaimonic feelings lingered for at least eight weeks. This is not merely academic: it suggests that the ethical choice — pursuing meaningful activities over pure pleasure — yields longer-lasting psychological returns. “Instead of thinking only about where you are going to travel, you can think about what psychological experience you want the vacation to provide, and try to create that experience,” says Yan.
The ethical dimension extends to how people plan. Yan and her colleagues distilled eight key elements for a restorative break: relatedness (social connection), autonomy (doing something for one’s own desires), mastery (overcoming a fear or learning new skills), novelty (seeking new experiences), positive self (learning about core values), emotion change (positive feelings like awe), escapism (detaching from daily routine), and meaning (emphasizing that one’s existence is purposeful). “If relatedness is very important, you might want to prioritise meaningful time with family, friends or a partner, rather than trying to do too many activities,” says Yan. To maximize autonomy, “it helps to build in freedom and flexibility. A vacation that is too tightly scheduled can become another source of pressure.”
What Changes and What Remains Open
The comparison between old and new thinking is stark. Previously, holidays were seen as temporary relief — a few days of escape followed by a quick return to baseline irritability. The new research shows that the right kind of holiday can change this pattern. Eudaimonic activities — completing a challenging hike, learning about a new culture, forming connections with fellow travelers — produce effects that persist for weeks after returning home. Physical exercise proved to be one of the best predictors of enhanced wellbeing in Grant’s meta-analysis, achievable through long walks or outdoor gyms without luxury spending.
But the research also reveals what remains open. Travel abroad is not necessary: taking time off at home, when planned correctly, can still be beneficial “For example, people can create boundaries around work, avoid routine chores during the holiday period, try new local activities, spend quality time with others, visit nearby nature or create small rituals that make the time feel different from ordinary life,” says Yan. The greatest relief may come from just five or six days away — shorter trips can deliver the same benefits.
The open question is how to sustain the effects. McLean found that using virtual-reality headsets to return to holiday locations significantly prolonged wellbeing benefits. But he also suggests lo-fi alternatives: deeply engaging with holiday memories through journaling in vivid detail, creating a rich photo or video montage that is actively revisited, or planning a return trip to the same destination “The underlying factor is about re-engaging psychologically with the vacation experience in a rich, immersive way,” says McLean. Passive scrolling through photos will not work — it requires full attention. What changes is the understanding that holidays are not just time off, but a deliberate psychological practice. What remains open is how each person will choose to apply that knowledge.