Travelling is one of
the activities that most people would be loved to do. Who does not want to
travel to unfamiliar places while discovering new amazing culture? Who would
not want to explore breath taking sight-seeing for new places? For those who
like to travel, did you know long term adventures can change your personality?
Two researchers Franz Neyer and Dr.
Julia Zimmerman can prove just in a paper establish in Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology. They studied two groups of German college students and
assign group one to study abroad for two to three semesters while the other
group stay in their hometown. The goals are to indicate “how this period of
extended travel influenced personality, as well as how the new social network
people developed influenced any observed personality changes”. During that period
of time, participant was required to take a test that measured the “Big Five”
personality aspect: Willing to experience, agreeableness, extraversion,
emotional stability and conscientiousness. When those students travelled back
to their hometown, they were to take the same test again and the results were
compared.
The results will amaze you as the
students who study aboard scored higher in extraversion and high engagement
when it comes to social interaction, as opposed to these who stayed in their
hometown. Also, in comparison to those who did not travel scored higher in
willing to experience, conscientiousness, emotional stability and
agreeableness. So how can travelling actually affect your personality?
Firstly, personality changes when you
start to look at life from entirely different vantage points. When you stay to
long in one place for extended period of time, you begin to take the simple
things for granted. It is different when you travel, it makes you realize the
things you deal with everyday, such as brushing your teeth and taking the
elevator to your apartment, are actually blessings.
Secondly, travelling abroad can make
you completely removed and free yourself from comfort zone. The quickest way to
get out of your comfort zone is to get away from wherever you are and adapt
yourself in a completely different culture. Watching the way people interact or
greet to one another and breath taking land surrounding them is an eye opening
experience that can only be done in person. We should stop living life through
the lens and get out there, and see it with your own eyes and experience it.
Thirdly, unexpectedly you will be more
open to meeting and making friends with new people easier. Travelling abroad is
avoidable to meet new people as you will have to put up some courage to ask to
know places and directions. It is live his or her life in comparison to your
life. Researchers stated that “the more the travellers engaged with new people
from different countries, the more that promoted goals related willing to
experience.”
Last be not least, gaining a new
perspective on life, will lead to learning about the huge difference between
“Face book” friends and real friends. When you are travelling and meeting so
many people over the span of so many new places, it’s basically impossible to
keep up with whatever your friends are doing back home. This is not to say you
do not care for them but your current situation is tailored to the new friends
you are making.
In conclusion, it does not matter where you
are or where you are from, what is important is that every day we learn new
things, experience new situation and meet up with new friends. We should
appreciate and cherish every moments in our life and live life to the fullest.
(621 Words)
(621 Words)
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