A 2017 study published in The Journal of Social Personal Relationships questioned almost 500 women between 18 and 93 years old, asking them when they most feel loved.
Most of the answers had nothing to do with getting a tangible item.
Dr. Zita Oravecz, a human development and family studies professor and one of the study’s authors, explained: “Our research found that micro-moments of positivity, like a kind word, cuddling with a child or receiving compassion make people feel most loved.”
In an interview with The Telegraph, psychological author Oliver James said: “Give a 2-year-old a present and she’ll get absorbed in the box instead.
“It’s similar with children and travel. We should let them explore their own ways of finding wonder in their surroundings.”
In addition to a boost to long-term joy, vacations also tend to make kids smarter, according to British child psychologist Dr. Margot Sunderland.
“What is less widely known is that [vacations] can also advance brain development in children,” she expressed.
“This is because on a family [vacation], you are exercising two genetically ingrained systems deep in the brain’s limbic area, which can all too easily be ‘unexercised’ in the home.”
“These are the PLAY system and the SEEKING system (Panksepp 2016),” she continued, adding that the PLAY system of the brain “is exercised every time you bury your child’s feet in the sand, tickle them on the pool lounger, or take them for a ride on your back. The SEEKING system is exercised each time you go exploring together: the forest, the beach, a hidden gem of a village.”
Sunderland added: “So when you take your child on a [vacation], you are supporting their explorative urge (SEEKING system) a vital resource for living life well, and their capacity to play (PLAY system).
“In adulthood, this translates into the ability to play with ideas — essential, for example, to the successful entrepreneur.”
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Replaced!