I know this is true (below). The weather was chilly for our vacation, and my son said he never wanted to go anywhere else with his family again THEN I got shingles right after from stress (my doctor said).
The jet lag from California to England almost killed us too. We felt terrible.
Article below:
"From an informal and highly unscientific survey of friends and colleagues, I can report that the reasons for not feeling happy after returning from vacation include: the flight home (red-eye to New York); realizing what they just did to their credit-card balance; getting back to work; wondering if they should have gone somewhere different; sharp memories of kids fighting constantly in the back seat of the rental car; and sadness that the next vacation will not arrive for months, typically around the end of the year, making them wonder over and over, How am I going to hold out until then?
I, in contrast, not having taken a vacation this year and with none scheduled, am positively euphoric compared with these dour souls: I have something to look forward to and a world of possible destinations to fantasize about.
Anecdotes do not equal data, as scientists say, but in this case the anecdotes about vacations failing to give us a post-trip mood boost match the results of years of research. Studies point to an inescapable conclusion: “Generally, there is no difference between vacationers’ and non-vacationers’ post-trip happiness,” as the authors of a recent paper in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life put it. One interesting exception is the period just before taking a vacation, when about-to-be travelers report feeling happier than nonvacationers, possibly because the anticipation puts them in a good mood."
3 comments:
hmm, happier, probably not, but it does provide food for thought.
when i go away i always see the good side of things because they are fresh and positive, but when i come back the familiar tends to seem tired and appears negative.
but i guess thats why travel broadens the mind yet doesnt wholly satisfy the soul.
somewhere along the line i think this represents a psychological condition of dissatisfaction with socially-contrived expectations of normality. where this comes from is another matter: media, advertising, tv, government, peer groups, a combination?
another way of looking at it is that we make judgements by comparison, so good tends to be contrasted with it's mirror image of bad, rather than better and best, and vice versa.
I just hope none of it was a reaction to my previous comment about the bridge in the bay...
I totally disagree! I look back on every single vacation we've ever taken with unalloyed joy! I know I've been unusually lucky, but honestly, other than the odd missed flight, being put on the Terror Watch List once (?) and getting deathly ill from foreign bacteria (remember the night I almost died in Toledo, Spain, Eliz?)---I've had terrific travels, that provided great memories! Even the weather has always cooperated. Again...I know I've beaten the odds, and am probably due for a big disaster next time.
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