Dying to book your next trip? Then go ahead and live a little.
Traveling can delay the aging process and improve physical and mental health, a new study published in the Journal of Travel Research found.
Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia conducted the study believed to be the first-ever that applied the theory of entropy — the general trend of the universe towards death and disorder — to tourism.
“Ageing, as a process, is irreversible. While it can’t be stopped, it can be slowed down,” ECU PhD candidate Fangli Hu said in a press release.
The team discovered that the positive physical and mental health benefits of traveling — such as exercising and relaxing — do help the body slow the signs of aging.
And the results can last much longer than your tan will.
Trips that include active experiences like hiking or swimming encourage people to get moving and enjoy the many well-known benefits of exercise.
Meanwhile, leisurely travel could reduce chronic stress, slow an overactive immune system, and encourage normal functioning of the self-defense system, which in turn can allow the body to reach a a low-entropy state.
“Tourism isn’t just about leisure and recreation. It could also contribute to people’s physical and mental health,” Hu said, noting that the reverse is also true.
To put it simply, “positive experiences might mitigate entropy increase and enhance health, while negative experiences may contribute to entropy increase and compromise health.”
In response to their study, the experts suggested that “travel therapy could serve as a groundbreaking health intervention.”
The discovery comes as adults are more stressed about aging than ever and people continue to book wellness travel.
Almost half of women (47%) express that aging causes them stress — more so millennials (57%) and Gen Z (56%). Meanwhile, some men — are going to extreme lengths to slow the aging process.
So instead of scheduling your next Botox or stem cell injection, maybe just book a flight.
Source Agencies
