Vacations make you VERY happy – says science! Travel memories more positive than remembering a first kiss for nearly half of people, according to facial recognition AI
For nearly half of people, special travel memories evoke more positive emotions than the memory of their first kiss.
And that’s according to science.
Research used artificial intelligence to “measure and visualize the expression of emotions” related to a variety of memories, with 47 percent of participants attaching more positive emotions to a unique travel memory compared to remembering their first kiss.
In the study, through GetYourGuide and emotion analysis specialist Tanfor 42 percent of respondents, travel experiences were one of the three most emotionally intense memories.
And for 14 percent, travel experiences evoked even more positive emotions than holding their firstborn child for the first time, though the latter was the most intensely positive memory overall.
Participants from Germany, the US and the UK had their faces scanned by facial recognition software as they imagined the most important moments of their lives – and 47 percent attached more positive emotions to a unique travel memory compared to the memory of their first kiss
For the study, 298 participants from Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom followed a guided audio meditation that prompted them to vividly imagine the most important moments of their lives.
As they recalled those memories, their faces were scanned by facial recognition software.
Using artificial intelligence, the software analyzed facial micro-reactions to rank different memories and describe how negative or positive a response was.
Software analyzed emotional micro-reactions on the face to rank different memories and describe how negative or positive a reaction was
‘The first kiss and special travel experience have psychological similarities. Both are multisensory, arousing arousal, and critically represent a new experience you haven’t had before,” said Anja Goritz, psychologist and professor of Behavioral Health Technology at the University of Augsburg.
“Putting yourself in situations for new, emotionally rich experiences can benefit your emotional well-being. These kinds of experiences are also the ones that are likely to form “cherished” memories in the long run.”
Johannes Reck, CEO and founder of online travel booking platform GetYourGuide, says: “People have the opportunity to be the architect of the emotionally important moments in their lives. I strongly believe in the power of travel experiences to shape memories.
‘Of GetYourGuide we want to give the consumer the key to unlocking those feelings of wonder and awe and converting them into lasting memories.’
To keep the travel memories coming, GetYourGuide has launched a collection of ‘unique experiences’ called Originals by GetYourGuide. A highlight is a guided experience by the New York Museum of Modern Artanother is a private guided tour of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Reck added, “GetYourGuide has been helping travelers create lasting memories on every trip they take for years, and we are excited to now unlock even more truly unique experiences with the launch of “Originals by GetYourGuide”, created in close collaboration with our brilliant local partners.’