Study Suggests That Exploring Close To Home Could Boost Mood

A new study suggests that exploring your neighborhood can be just as rewarding as traveling abroad. Since international travel is on hold due to the pandemic more people have been taking to bikes and walking around their neighborhoods to explore. “What appeared to be most critical to a positive mood was simply going to a diverse set of locations, not the distance one traveled on a given day,” Catherine Hartley, a professor of psychology at New York University and a co-author of the study, told Lonely Planet.

Simply exploring your own neighborhood could be beneficial for your mental health https://t.co/lVo8tDIIlH

— Lonely Planet (@lonelyplanet) June 30, 2020

Hartley says that with unique daily experiences that add variety to our lives, it makes up happier and our mood better.  Whether you take a different route on your walk or adding variety to what you read or watch, the benefits of exposing yourself to new sights, sounds, and experiences can be very rewarding.

I recently spent an afternoon exploring the Sea to Sky Gondola trails with Mama Beam.  What did you learn as you explore your neighborhood recently?