Arthur C. Brooks explains why the weeks before a vacation make people happier than the trip itself. Research on Dutch and Chinese vacationers shows anticipation releases dopamine, the neurochemical that drives craving and forward-looking excitement. Savoring what's coming gives you repeated dopamine hits that boost overall wellbeing.
One of the happiest parts of vacation is looking forward to it. There's some good studies on Dutch and Chinese vacationers, and they see that they have way greater happiness over non-vacationers in the weeks leading up to their holiday. The data say that one of the greatest sources of happiness from any pleasurable activity is the anticipation of it. And there's a reason for that. There's a neurochemical reason for that. I've talked a lot about the neuromodulator dopamine. People think of it as a kind of a pleasure chemical. It's not. It leads to anticipation of reward where you learn about something that actually is good for you. And so the the result of it is that you want it more and that you crave it and you anticipate the reward from getting it the next time. All of those feelings that you get, it all has to do with dopamine is being sprayed from a little thing in your brain called the locus coeruleus, largely onto the nucleus accumbens in your brain. I want that. I want that roast beef sandwich. I want to see that person that I'm anticipating seeing, somebody that I'm falling in love with. That's dopamine talking. And the same thing is true when you anticipate a beautiful vacation that you've planned and when you savor it in advance, what doing is giving yourself little spritzes of dopamine onto your nucleus accumbens. I think it's gonna be so fun. I'm gonna like it. It's gonna be so great. And that adds to your happiness in the run-up to the vacation, which net-net is good for you, good for your wellbeing.
