When we return from a holiday we so quickly become consumed by work that we forget to think about the positive experiences we just had. Psychologists call this the “fade-out effect”
up on what she’s missed, crosses to-dos off her list and pre- pares for her next work trip. “The vacation glow wore off very quickly,” Ligori says. “There wasn’t really time to reminisce or enjoy any post-vacation happiness.” And just like that, her holiday was long gone. This experience — relaxing on a much-needed vacation only
to return to the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, with any contentment fading about as quickly as your flight home — is certainly not unique to Ligori. In fact, this phenomenon, known as the “fade-out effect,” almost always occurs when we return from a holiday because we “so quickly become con- sumed by our work that we simply forget to think about the positive experiences that we just had,” says Paul Krismer, the chief happiness officer at the Happiness Experts, a Victoria- based firm that offers training and coaching in happiness, posi- tive psychology and mindfulness. “Since we put our holiday out of mind upon return, we inadvertently put away the positive emotions that we created while away.” Fred Bryant, a psychology professor at Loyola University in Chicago who studies savouring, adds that jumping back into our old routines right away is counterproductive. “Work has piled up, we have 1,000 emails in our inbox and things have had to be put off till aſter our trip. The stress of struggling to catch up can quickly erode the effects of the vacation. It becomes a distant memory at best.” A 2010 study published in the journal Applied Research in
Quality of Life surveyed nearly 1,000 Dutch vacationers and looked at the overall happiness levels of people who took time off, as well as how long their happiness lasted post-vacation. Researchers found that only people who said they had a “very relaxed” trip benefited from any lingering happiness when they returned to work. Those who described their time away as “neutral” didn’t show any post-vacation happiness — their aſterglow faded almost instantly upon return. “Almost all studies show that effects of vacationing wear off
immediately or aſter a short period of time,” says the study’s lead author, Jeroen Nawijn, a senior tourism lecturer at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. “I believe the reason we generally feel good on vacation is the enhanced level of freedom. You can decide what to do in terms of activities, where to go, whom to spend time with. This is quite different from everyday life, where you cannot avoid certain people, activities or environments.” Another study published in 2013 in the Journal of Happiness
42 | CPA MAGAZINE | MAY 2016
Studies looked at the after-effects of vacations on health and well-being and showed that while people’s overall health improved during a vacation, the positive effects were short- lived. Researchers found that the well-being of vacationers — including their level of fatigue, satisfaction, tension, energy and mood — rapidly improved while off work and peaked on the eighth day. But by the first week back at work, levels of health and well-being decreased and resembled where they were prior to the vacation. What’s more, folks had to experience pleasure, relaxation, savouring and control for the persistence of any lasting effects. Even so, time off work truly is beneficial to us and there are a
slew of mental, physical and even work-related advantages to prolonging that post-vacation glow. “Those who don’t get a break from work are more prone to burnout, discontent and lethargy. They may feel like they are just going through the motions,” says Jaime Kurtz, an associate psychology professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., who studies happiness. “More hours at work doesn’t always translate into more productivity; people need breaks.” Jamie Gruman, an associate professor of organizational
behaviour at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ont., adds that vacations can enhance our quality of life and recharge our bat- teries. “Research shows that people who use their leisure time well actually perform better at work; vacations can improve motivation and attitude.” This is fairly significant, given that more than half (53%) of
all Canadians consider themselves “vacation deprived.” Online travel provider
Expedia.ca’s 2015 vacation deprivation survey found that Canadians receive an average of 17 vacation days each year from employers, but only take 15.5 of those days. (Since the annual survey’s inception 13 years ago, Canadians have “collectively leſt more than 350 million vacation days on the table.”) The world’s least-deprived vacationers come from Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Italy, where employees are given 30 vacation days each year. (Folks from the first five countries listed take nearly every day of their allotted time off.) The first step to avoid feeling deprived of time away from
work is obvious — take time away from work. But when it comes to maximizing and prolonging the satisfaction and chill factor you get from a vacation, it’s not quite as simple. The fol- lowing techniques, however, will help you keep your post-holi- day happiness alive long aſter you’re back.
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