How to Make Your Best Vacation Memories Last, According to Science
Takeaways:
All too often, our memories of our experiences or vacations are shaped by the final impression they leave. This is called The Recency Effect.
The Recency effect stems from our short-term memory’s inability to hold on to more than a small amount of information at once. It is what causes us to remember the final moments of a memory more vividly than anything else.
Understanding the Recency Effect can help us harness it, and turn a good trip into an unforgettable one. As books and films finish on a climax, you too can look at an experience as a narrative and craft it into something that ends with a bang.
“Isn’t traveling like telling yourself a story?” says writer Lee Goldberg. “There’s a beginning, middle and an end. You know what you’re going in for, you have an idea of what to expect, and there are twists along the way. But ultimately you want the big payoff, the big finale.”
Experts say you can strategically trigger the Recency Effect, creating lasting memories throughout by breaking a trip into smaller segments. One source notes that when she and her husband divided their Italy trip into three parts—Rome, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast—it allowed for multiple “endings” and more vivid experiences.
However, the recency effect can backfire– you never know when you’re going to encounter an unexpected inconvenience or miscue in your trip’s final moments. One source has combated this with a ritual of collecting trinkets throughout the trip. At a trip’s end, she is able to spend time reminiscing about each experience on its own.
From Maggie Downs at The Wall Street Journal:
Note: At the time of this posting The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to read this article.