Research suggests many holidaymakers are happier working…

I recently read an interesting article about how holidaymakers are happier working for their break rather than relaxing for two weeks. Although the research seems to stem from a desire to promote the Doctor’s new book it does go someway to explain our increasing desire for holidays with a purpose where you can learn a new skill and return home both fulfilled and relaxed. In a world where we find it increasingly difficult to switch off on holiday, perhaps taking a holiday course helps us wind down before we collapse on the beach feeling happy and fulfilled that we have worked for our holiday (or part of it at least!)

Academics at Gothenburg University in Sweden spent three years trying to discover what puts a smile on peoples’ faces. They concluded that working hard to reach a goal often brings more self-satisfaction than the goal itself.

Research leader Dr Bengt Bruelde claims money, love and success bring only temporary joy.”You get used to it-then the happiness is over”, he said.”Striving to achieve something by work gives a purpose to life and this is the meaning of true happiness. Sitting in the sun with nothing to do is not a sure-fire recipe for a contented life.”

Dr Bruelde, 46, admitted: “I know this may not sound very convincing when millions of people are just getting back to work after a holiday.”

“Of course, a pay rise or a holiday in the sun are pleasant experiences, but the problem is the ‘habituation effect’ which usually occurs after a few weeks. You get used to the new situation and then the joy is over.”

He added: “To be happy is possible if one understands the mechanism which causes the feeling. Working hard to reach the goal is often a cause for more self-satisfaction and joy than actually reaching the winning post itself.”

Dr Bruelde, who is writing a book called “Pain and Happiness”, attacks the tourist industry for selling holidays as happiness. He said:”Tourist firms have made consumers believe that it is wonderful to sit in the sun, laze about and do nothing. But this is not a sure-fire recipe for being happy and anyway few people really enjoy their holiday as it’s often not so perfect as they imagine.”

Dr Bruelde’s research suggests many holidaymakers are happier working for their break than when they are actually fighting off the files on a hot beach.

Article Author: Radha Kishan