THE BENEFITS OF VACATION

Health Benefits Taking time away from work and routine allows the body to replenish and repair itself, according to Karen Matthews of Mind Body Center at the University of Pittsburgh, quoted on npr.com. The center surveyed 1,399 participants recruited for studies on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and other conditions, and found that leisure activities, including taking vacations, contributed to higher positive emotional levels and less depression among the participants. Other benefits include lower blood pressure and smaller waistlines, reports npr.com. Women especially seem to benefit from taking vacations, according to a 2005 study conducted by Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal and reported on medicalnewstoday.com. Women who vacationed less often than once every two years were more likely to suffer from depression and increased stress than women who took vacations at least twice a year. Creativity and Innovation Benefits Robert Kriegel, author of "How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard," says workers get many of their best ideas away from the job. Without the pressure to respond to each crisis that arises, workers have the opportunity to consider innovative approaches, Kriegel explains on money.cnn.com. "Vacation should be really defined as a time when we can really turn off those tech work savers and just relax and have fun," says Robert R. Butterworth, a Los Angeles psychologist with International Trauma Associates, quoted on abc.com.