Do Vacations Actually Help You Recover? What the Science Says.

Some years ago, a fascinating study from De Bloom and colleagues (2009) cut through the noise and get to the truth about your precious “vacation recovery.” Here is what they found!

The Bump is Barely There

Do vacations have a positive effect on your health and well-being? Yes, a small one. Think of it as a momentary sugar rush, not a fundamental shift. Proximal indicators like health complaints and exhaustion show a medium effect, improving more than the more distal “life satisfaction”. So, you might feel a little less tired, but don’t expect enlightenment.

The Fade Out is Real, and It’s Fast

That fleeting sense of peace? It vanishes quicker than your vacation budget. The positive effects soon fade out after work resumption. The studies reviewed by De Bloom et al. (2009) indicated this fade-out typically occurs within 2 to 4 weeks post-vacation. One study even showed a large fade-out for exhaustion within 18 days. So, that “recharge” you brag about? It’s basically gone before your tan lines. You get back to the grind, and the grind grinds you right back down to pre-vacation levels.

The “Black Box” Problem 

Despite vacations being lauded as a crucial recovery opportunity, we have barely any empirical evidence on what actually happens during them.

Activities? Unclear. Researchers haven’t bothered to systematically study what specific vacation activities (e.g., sports, reading, sightseeing, or just sitting on your couch) actually contribute to recovery or how they affect outcomes. A couple of studies collected retrospective data on activities, but didn’t link them to outcomes.

Experiences? Mostly Biased. While one study found that positive experiences like relaxation were linked to improved well-being, and “negative work reflection” was tied to lower well-being post-vacation, most data on “vacation experiences” (like vacation satisfaction) was collected after people returned to work, introducing potential bias. So, you’re asking someone about their “vacation satisfaction” after they’ve been back in the office for a week?

The Underlying “Theory” (and its Practical Failings)

 The idea that time off helps you recover from work-induced stress (Effort-Recovery theory, Allostatic Load Theory) is fundamental. Vacations, as a form of “macrorecovery” (more than 2 days off), are supposed to help you psychologically detach from work and engage in non-work activities. But if the effects are so fleeting, and we don’t even know why, then the practical application of this theory is, frankly, a mess. We don’t even know the optimal duration, frequency, or timing of vacations to maximize this recovery. Most studies focus on summer vacations, and some don’t even report if people stay home or go away.

Shoddy Science is the Real Problem

Why don’t we have better answers? Because the research has been consistently weak. Many studies had limited participants, and a significant number dropped out between measurements. Five out of seven studies didn’t even use a control group, making it hard to definitively say vacation caused the changes. This is basic science, people. Almost all data comes from self-reports, which are notoriously unreliable. We need objective measures – think physiological indicators, performance ratings, real data, not just someone’s feelings. Causality? Who Knows! It’s tough to prove vacation causes the improvement, as other factors (like changes in work demands) could be at play.

The Bottom Line 

Vacations offer a brief, small reprieve from the grind. They are not a magic bullet, and any positive effects you feel are likely evaporating within weeks. Until we get serious about research—with repeated, in-depth measurements during the vacation, better control groups, larger samples, and objective metrics—we’re just guessing.

So, go ahead and take your vacation. Enjoy that fleeting moment of relief. But don’t convince yourself that it’s a long-term solution to the systemic pressures of work. The system is still broken, and your two-week escape is just a temporary patch.

Source(s)

De Bloom, J., Kompier, M., Geurts, S., De Weerth, C., Taris, T., & Sonnentag, S. (2009). Do we recover from vacation? Meta‐analysis of vacation effects on health and well‐being. Journal of occupational health, 51(1), 13-25.