We’ve already written about the importance of vacations as a means of looking after your physical and mental health (click here to read more). Today we’re going to talk about some of the effects a vacation and novelty may have on your brain.

Close your eyes and think back to the best vacation you ever had. Concentrate on all of the sights, smells, sounds and tastes. Do you feel as though you are experiencing it all again? Can you almost smell that busy marketplace/the beach/the city fumes just by remembering?

Chances are that many of you are remembering a vacation that was in some way novel. It might be the first time you had travelled to that location, the first time you travelled at all or the first time you experienced a familiar place in a new way. This is because our brains love novelty and when something is novel we pay attention. If you measure brain activity in humans or animals while viewing something familiar and then while viewing something novel there is a huge spike in activity for the novel object compared to the familiar [1, 2]. From an evolutionary point of view this makes sense because anything new in the environment is a potential threat. Our primate ancestors who immediately noticed a dark, crouching shadow behind the tree they lived in were more likely to survive than those who carried on unperturbed by the new intrusion. Of course, being aware of changes to our immediate environment is still a good survival tactic but recent research has shown that the effects of novelty on the brain may be even more interesting thanks to knock-on effects on two areas: the memory centre and the reward centre.

Novelty is one key to keeping your mind interested and your brain healthy..

Novelty boosts memory.

Exploring a novel environment causes changes to the brain that enhance learning. This doesn’t just mean that you are more likely to remember an unusual experience because it was unusual but that your brain is more likely to remember unrelated information too. One study put some human participants in a virtual reality environment which was familiar to them and other participants in an environment which was new to them. They then gave them a list of words to remember. Those who had been exploring the novel environment had better memories than those who had been walking around the familiar environment [3]. Animal studies have shown that when rats explore novel environments it changes to the neurons in their memory centres helping them to remember more [4]. So your strong memories of that great vacation may have been helped along by a nice dose of novelty that strengthened the memory centre of your brain. It’s not only memory that is helped along by novelty, however, but also the reward system.

Novelty rewards us.

When we view something new the reward centres of our brain are activated and a big dose of dopamine, the reward drug of the brain, is released [5]. This isn’t simply because we are happy to see something new, however, instead the dopamine motivates us to continue exploring in search of new rewards [6]. Studies have shown that the mere anticipation of novelty can release dopamine which is why just thinking about that upcoming vacation when you’re sitting in a rainy office gives you a nice warm glow. The interaction between novelty and the reward system is called  the ‘exploration bonus’ or the ‘novelty bonus’ by researchers [6]. It’s likely an adaptive evolutionary response because species that have a drive to explore new environments and opportunities will be better able to survive adversity. Indeed even in today’s world curious older (human) adults live longer than non-curious adults [7]!#

So whether you’re off on an adrenaline-inducing adventure or merely eagerly anticipating trying out that new bar in a familiar town, novelty is one key to keeping your mind interested and your brain healthy while on vacation.

1. Li, L., E.K. Miller, and R. Desimone, The representation of stimulus familiarity in anterior inferior temporal cortex. Journal of neurophysiology, 1993. 69(6): p. 1918-1929.
2. Tulving, E., et al., Novelty encoding networks in the human brain: positron emission tomography data. NeuroReport, 1994. 5(18): p. 2525-2528.
3. Schomaker, J., M.L. van Bronkhorst, and M. Meeter, Exploring a novel environment improves motivation and promotes recall of words. Frontiers in psychology, 2014. 5.
4. Davis, C.D., F.L. Jones, and B.E. Derrick, Novel environments enhance the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus. The Journal of neuroscience, 2004. 24(29): p. 6497-6506.
5. Bunzeck, N., et al., Contextual interaction between novelty and reward processing within the mesolimbic system. Human brain mapping, 2012. 33(6): p. 1309-1324.
6. Schomaker, J. and M. Meeter, Short-and long-lasting consequences of novelty, deviance and surprise on brain and cognition. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2015. 55: p. 268-279.

7. Swan, G.E. and D. Carmelli, Curiosity and mortality in aging adults: A 5-year follow-up of the Western Collaborative Group Study. Psychology and Aging, 1996. 11(3): p. 449.

Remember summer holidays as a kid? Being released from school and seeing nothing but weeks of freedom, sunshine and sandy sandwiches lying ahead?…

It’s easy to forget that feeling as a working adult when heavy workloads and stress threaten to eat into our precious vacation days. Most people are owed a minimum number of vacation days a year but a lot of us don’t take them. In the US in 2014, for example, workers only took 51% of the small number of vacation days they were allowed and 15% of people took no time off at all [1]. Many said that they were worried about falling behind in their work while others worried that they would lose their edge on the competition for promotions. But this reasoning may be flawed.

Research shows that not only are vacations good for you but that they may also increase productivity meaning they’re good for the workplace and for your career as well.

Here we’ve listed some of the benefits of taking a break for both you and your work:

Vacations make you happier.

Yes it may be an obvious one but it can be easy to forget in the face of a heavy workload when going on a vacation seems like another task on the to-do list. Research has found that after taking a vacation workers are less tense and stressed, they are more likely to be in a good mood and to have higher levels of energy [2]. Better yet, people who come back from vacation are more satisfied with their lives in general when they return [3]. Doesn’t a calmer, energised, happier you or a more satisfied, de-stressed employee sound like a good outcome?

Vacations are good for your health.

We’ve blogged before about the effects of stress on health. Chronic stress puts a strain on your body and puts you at risk of ill health. Although we all need some periods of stress in our lives it’s also important to know where to draw the line and how to take time out. A vacation offers a chance for your body to turn off the stress systems, to recuperate and to repair. Research has shown that people on holiday immediately feel healthier, have less physical complaints and even have a reduction in cholesterol levels on their return [2, 4]

Vacations increased productivity.

We’ve covered why vacations are good for the individual but are they also good for the workplace? The research seems to say yes. Employees who take a vacation have lower levels of job stress and burnout [5]. Researchers also showed that at a company level there were lower levels of absenteeism for reasons other than ill health after employees had taken a vacation compared to before [6]. In addition, employees who have had a vacation see the tasks they have to complete as part of their job as less effortful compared to before they took time off [7].

All of this indicates the benefits of spending time away from work. But there’s an important catch to remember if you want to see these benefits – a vacation should not just involve time spent out of the office but time off work as well. 61% of US workers in 2014 admitted to working while on vacation and this is something which can negate many of the good effects of a vacation [1]. Studies have shown that people who spend a lot of time thinking negatively about work while on vacation actually had higher levels of exhaustion and disengagement from work when they returned [7]. People who felt that their holiday was highly recuperative, meanwhile, experienced enhanced effects when they went back to work [3]. They were happier and more satisfied with their lives even in the face of a heavy workload on their return.

This shows that it’s not enough just to leave the office, you also need to switch off when you take time off. Try not to think about all of things that annoy you in work, don’t log into your email unless absolutely necessary and limit your use of electronic devices. One PIP team member tried just this on her own vacation and lists the benefits of digital detox in another blog (Link coming soon!). So don’t feel guilty about taking the time off you’re entitled to. Vacations are important for a healthier you, a happier office and a more productive workplace.

1.         Glassdoor, Q1 2014 Employment Confidence Survey. 2014.
2.         de Bloom, J., et al., Effects of vacation from work on health and well-being: Lots of fun, quickly gone. Work & Stress, 2010. 24(2): p. 196-216.
3.         Strauss-Blasche, G., C. Ekmekcioglu, and W. Marktl, Moderating effects of vacation on reactions to work and domestic stress. Leisure Sciences, 2002. 24(2): p. 237-249.
4.         Strauss-Blasche, G., C. Ekmekcioglu, and W. Marktl, Serum lipids responses to a respite from occupational and domestic demands in subjects with varying levels of stress. Journal of psychosomatic research, 2003. 55(6): p. 521-524.
5.         Etzion, D., Annual vacation: Duration of relief from job stressors and burnout. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 2003. 16(2): p. 213-226.
6.         Westman, M. and D. Etzion, The impact of vacation and job stress on burnout and absenteeism. Psychology & Health, 2001. 16(5): p. 595-606.
7.         Fritz, C. and S. Sonnentag, Recovery, well-being, and performance-related outcomes: the role of workload and vacation experiences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006. 91(4): p. 936.