A recent study from Edith Cowan University, Australia, suggests that travel may play a significant role in preventing premature aging.
Turns out that all the positive aspects that come with travel—physical activity, mental stimulation, exposure to new experiences, immersion in nature, and new social interactions–can in fact help slow down aging.
“Tourism isn’t just about leisure and recreation. It could also contribute to people’s physical and mental health,” said Fangli Hu, who led the study’s research, in a statement. That emphasis on physical and mental health is the key to staying younger, longer. “Ageing, as a process, is irreversible. While it can’t be stopped, it can be slowed down,” said Hu.
The research found that the physical activity, mental stimulation, and new experiences associated with travel can slow the body’s natural decline, known as “low entropy.”
The study highlights how immersing oneself in new environments stimulates the brain, helping to maintain mental sharpness.
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Additionally, the minor stress from new experiences strengthens the body’s self-defense mechanisms, promoting tissue repair and regeneration.
Though aging is irreversible, Hu emphasized that its effects can be slowed. So whether it’s a family vacation or a solo adventure, travel might be the key to staying younger, longer.
While stimulating stress sounds like a bad idea, Hu said it is actually beneficial and can improve the body’s ability to identify real stress and threats and make it stronger. Hu explained, “Put simply, the self-defence system becomes more resilient. Hormones conducive to tissue repair and regeneration may be released and promote the self-healing system’s functioning.”
Travel may help alleviate chronic stress, ease tension and fatigue in the muscles and joints, and increase “the anti-wear-and-tear system’s effectiveness”.
So plan your girls’ trip or family vacation or both, because as Hu says, “Ageing, as a process, is irreversible. While it can’t be stopped, it can be slowed down.”