September 26th, 2024
Jonah Paquette, PsyD
Welcome to this week's Three Good Things, my newsletter where I share 3 ideas, resources, findings, or skills related to happiness and well-being.
Each week, I focus on a specific theme drawn from the science of happiness, including concepts like awe, gratitude, social connection, managing burnout, mindfulness, and much more.
This week I'm joining you from my vacation on Kauai, and so in the spirit of practicing what I preach, I'm going to keep this week's newsletter a bit short :) But in keeping with the theme of vacation, I thought I would share a few interesting findings related to the importance of taking vacation -- which as it turns out, many of us in America could improve on! Each year, more than half of Americans leave vacation time on the table, for a grand total of nearly 800 million(!) days of unused PTO each year on average. And of that, roughly a third goes forfeited completely.
So consider this to be my encouragement to use those hard-earned vacation days. As it turns out, doing so isn't just a frivolous endeavor. There are in fact some important benefits that come from going on a vacation. And with that, here are this week's Three Good Things:
- First off this week, I wanted to share this piece from Harvard Business Review on the impact of taking a vacation on our overall well-being. From cognitive benefits to the effect on our stress hormones, it's a nice primer on some of the important effects taking a vacation can have on our overall wellness.
2. I also enjoyed this piece which zeroes in a bit more on things like heart health, our capacity to be mindful and present, and reducing our overall stress.
3. Lastly, if you're wondering about the optimal length for a vacation, there is some research to suggest that roughly 8 days seems to be the sweet spot. That said, if they ever run a randomized controlled trial on this topiic, I'd love to be in one of the experimental groups that gets tested for a bit longer of a vacation :)
More important than the length of a vacation though is how we approach a vacation. In other words, there are things we can do to get the most bang for our buck from a happiness standpoint when it comes to traveling and that research has supported. Some of these strategies include:
- Focus on experiences rather than things: splurge on memorable adventures, rather than a nicer room or more luxurious plane tickets. Experiences have a far greater impact on our happiness long-term than material objects.
- Enjoy the planning: studies have shown that the planning phase of a vacation actually provides a surprisingly large amount of the enjoyment we derive from it. So happy planning!
- Savor the experience: put aside the distractions, and focus on your senses. Soak up the experiences you have and draw them out in order to emplify them.
- Use memory-building strategies: without being glued to your phone or camera, find ways nonetheless to remember the experience in the months and years to come. Photos, souvenirs, travel journals, and little keepsakes can allow you to relive the experience long after your vacation is over.
Stay in touch!
Thanks so much for being part of my newsletter, and I look forward to sharing more fun updates with you each week here. I'd also love to connect with you on social media (links below at the bottom of the page), and share a few fun resources with you in the meantime!
- If you're interested in my books, check out Happily Even After and Awestruck.
- Click here for my TEDx talk on the power of Awe.
- Click here for my TEDx talk on Gratitude & Mindfulness.
- Click here to check out my speaker reel, and here to book me as a speaker for your next event.
- Click here to check out my online course offerings.
- And of course check out my website for more information about my work.
Thanks so much for joining me!
Until next time,
Jonah
