Are you waiting to die if you don't travel? Study: Traveling less than "this number" may have negative impacts on health
The Lunar New Year is coming soon, how to plan the 10-day spring break? Arranging a “travel” may have unexpected benefits for your overall health! A recent study published in the “Journal of Transport & Health” shows that frequent travelers have better overall health. Even if a person travels alone to a foreign place, the psychological and physical benefits are obvious.
Are you waiting to die if you don’t travel? Research: Traveling less than “this number” may cause harm to your body!
The study was led by a team from University College London in the UK. They recruited 3,014 subjects from northern England and were asked about their views on travel and the degree of restrictions. The research team said that northern England is considered to be a relatively remote and difficult to travel area in the UK. Subjects answered the following questions through a questionnaire:
“I go out less often than ideally.” - Limitations on travel frequency.
“The places I go to (such as cities or towns outside my area) are fewer than ideal.” - Limitation on the number of places.
“My destination is closer than the place I most want to go.” - Limitation of travel distance.
“I can only go to the places I most want to drive to by taking public transportation."—Restrictions on personal vehicles.
“I can only drive to where I want to take public transportation."—Restrictions on public transportation.
In addition, the research team also asked subjects to self-assess their health status and used a “geographic information system” (GIS) to connect the subjects’ zip code to other data aggregates to ensure the objectivity of the experiment. The results show that if the travel distance is less than 15 miles (approximately 24 kilometers), it may have a negative impact on overall health. The strongest link is “limiting the number of times you go out”, and the overall health risk is reduced by approximately 8.3%.
If you don’t like to travel, your health will get worse? Experts point out that “whether you have a car” is the key factor
The study shows that other factors contributing to the decline in health status are: restrictions on the use of personal vehicles such as cars and motorcycles (2.7%), lack of total destinations (1.7%) and restrictions on mass transit systems (1.7%). Paulo Anciaes, the lead author of the study, believes that the reduction in travel behavior has long been considered to be the main cause of reduced mental health; and this study confirms that there is indeed a correlation between travel and health conditions.
“Our research results show that the lack of access to suitable public transportation or personal vehicles may lead to travel restrictions, which in turn affects people’s health. In addition, travel can easily lead to a lack of social participation, which is believed to increase loneliness and psychological well-being. key factor in disease.”
Anciaes noted that the association was stronger among those over 55 years of age. The possible reason is that aging leads to restricted mobility and an increased chance of living alone, making traveling or going out more difficult. Therefore, the study suggests that relevant units should pay more attention to the problem of middle-aged and elderly people living alone. Through group activities and travel gatherings, it may be possible to alleviate the loneliness of the elderly.
Can “travel therapy” help activate the brain? Study: “Four Big Experiences” Linked to Slowing Alzheimer’s Disease
The above studies reveal the impact of travel on overall health, but can travel itself be used as a form of therapy? Research published in “Tourism Management” in October 2022 believes that tourism can indeed slow down dementia in the elderly through “four major aspects”.
Emotional experience. Taking a long vacation to comfort yourself, having fun during the trip, or using the concept of “mindfulness” to join the trip can significantly improve your mood and achieve a stress-reducing effect.
Cognitive experience. Learning new things during the journey helps stimulate the brain to think and remember. The people, things and things encountered during the journey all stimulate the brain to function.
Idea experience. Such as family travel or camping activities, which emphasize reunion and interpersonal connections; if the interaction between the guests and hosts is good, it can also stimulate the brain and retain beautiful memories.
Sensory experience. Such as introducing VR technology, music experience, or listening to the sound of waves, insects and birds in nature. Previous studies have pointed out that people who are close to nature have a lower risk of dementia and have better mental health than ordinary people.
Jun Wen, the author of the study, said that travel behavior involves social activities performed by many people, such as participating in a tour group; or going to other places to dine with relatives and friends. These activities have a positive impact on the condition of patients with dementia. “The more complete the travel experience, the easier it is for people with dementia to benefit from it. ‘Travel therapy’ may become a treatment for patients with mental illnesses (such as depression and anxiety) in the near future,”
Source:
Tourism as a dementia treatment based on positive psychology
Constraints to travel outside the local area: Effect on social participation and self-rated health
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