Significant Benefits of Taking a Vacation

Looking for an excuse to take a vacation? Or perhaps you need a good rationalization to provide to your boss? significant benefits taking vacation. We’ve got good news for you: science is on your side.

Various studies show all kinds of benefits to taking time off. From work productivity to improved relationships and health, taking a vacation benefits everyone — even people you will never meet!

Keep reading for AllTheRooms’ take on the benefits of taking a vacation.

Increase Work Productivity

When you think about the things you’re most excited about for your vacation, your increased work productivity when you come back isn’t something you think of. However, USA Today says that “34 percent of the respondents in a recent study reported feeling better about their jobs and more productive after taking a vacation.”

A similar study reported on by the New York Times suggests that upon returning to work from vacation, employees become hyper-focused on the work waiting for them. Per The Times article, “The importance of restoration is rooted in our physiology. Human beings aren’t designed to expend energy continuously. Rather, we’re meant to pulse between spending and recovering energy.”

Improve Your Relationships

Need a good reason to talk your partner into taking a vacation? You can tell them that taking a vacation is a good bet to improve the outlook of your relationship. According to the Wisconsin Medical Journal, women who take at least two vacations a year are “less likely to become tense, depressed, or tired, and are more satisfied with their marriages.” Not only that, the “odds of marital satisfaction decreased as the frequency of vacations decreased.”

It’s also true that science suggests those fuzzy memories you have of family vacations from years past were beneficial to you. As reported by the Huffington Post, “families who vacation together undergo shared experience, communication and togetherness, escape and relaxation and experiential learning, all which contribute positively to well-being and to relationships.” So rest assured that the long car rides and the persistent “are we there yet?” are all worth it in the long run.

Physical and Mental Health Benefits

You may have a sneaking suspicion that there are health benefits to vacations. Or at least you were telling yourself (or your boss) that to justify your vacations. Rest easy knowing you were right all along.

Mental Floss reported on a number of physical and mental health benefits of taking a vacation. Among the benefits reported:

“Taking a vacation can lower the risk of heart attack by 30 percent for men and 50 percent for women.”

“European countries in which workers receive up to 30 days of vacation per year enjoy longer life expectancies and lower health care costs.”

“The more active you are with your leisure time—and the more control you have over your free time—the more likely you are to be satisfied with your life overall.”

“Some neurologists believe that the neural connections that produce feelings of calm become weaker and weaker if they’re not utilized. Over time, this can mean it’s actually harder to get your mind to switch into relaxation mode — even outside of work. Take some time off to beef up these neural connections.”

Economic Benefits

Finally, taking a vacation is not only beneficial to you, it’s good for society at large. Taking time off for vacation is a massive boon to business sales and a big job creator. According to Forbes, “If workers used all of their available paid time off, the economy would benefit from more than $160 billion in total business sales and $21 billion in tax revenues, spending that would support 1.2 million jobs in industries ranging from retail to manufacturing to transportation.”