It's finally the holidays! The beach, the fine sand and the coconut trees. It is usually a time you dream of during long days at work, and once you get there, you want to make the most of it! To make the most of this wonderful period, many people like to go away for two weeks or even longer, just to disconnect and recharge their batteries.
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It appears that, in fact, going away for more than a week is not that beneficial and does not create more memories according to science. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman tried to prove it in an interview with Business Insider.
There is a difference between experience and memory
According to Dr. Daniel Kahneman, human psychology is divided into two parts: our 'experiencing self' and our 'remembering self'. He has made it his life's work to study the interactions between people's experiences, and the memories they make and keep over time.
He says that our 'experiencing self' lives only in the moment, and only knows the present time, whereas our 'remembering self' looks back on previous moments in life, focusing on the past.
Dr. Kahneman argues that taking a long holiday will increase our experiencing self's happiness, but it will not increase our remembering self's happiness. Indeed, the latter does not take into account the duration of your holidays but the memories created, and the brain tends to favour the most recent ones.
If you still want to go away for a long time, to take full advantage of these days off, it is therefore advisable to multiply the destinations and activities if possible.
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It all depends on how you define happiness
Dr. Kahneman has found that our happiness depends on our perception of time. If you choose to focus on your 'experiencing self', then a lengthy holiday will do you good, and you will feel happy. However, if you choose to focus on your 'remembering self', then the memories you make on holiday are more important than the number of days spent there. He argues that the 'remembering self' is far less fleeting than the 'experiencing self', so focusing on it might make you happy for longer.
This article has been adapted from Gentside FR.
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Sources used:
Business Insider: There's a scientific reason why 2-week vacations are actually a waste
TED Talk: The riddle of experience vs. memory
