This is your brain on travel

By Derk Richardson  January 7th, 2010 6:47 pm  |  Comments (16)

We all know that travel changes us.

But did you know it makes you more creative? A better problem solver?

That’s what Jonah Lehrer asserts in his “Your Brain” column in The Panorama Magazine, part of the one-time-only McSweeney’s newspaper project, The San Francisco Panorama.brain3

Lehrer, contributing editor at Wired magazine and the author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist, titled his essay “Definitive, Incontrovertible Proof: Why Travel Makes You Smarter.” Citing research conducted at Indiana University, the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, and the INSEAD business school in France, he comes up with several conclusions that should resonant with worldly travelers, especially those of an “Afar-ish” bent:

“When we escape from the place we spend most of our time, … we start thinking about obscure possibilities … that never would have occurred to us if we’d stayed back on the farm.”

“Experiencing another culture endows us with a valuable open-mindedness.”

And finally, when we travel, “We’re reminded of all that we don’t know, which is nearly everything; we’re surprised by the constant stream of surprises. … We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.”

The San Francisco Panorama hit newsstands and bookstores in early December and sold out immediately. It can be ordered from the McSweeney’s online store.

Lehrer posted his essay on his blog. You can read it here.

Tell us how his thoughts jibe with your experience.

Bookmark and Share

Categories: Uncategorized, personal journey

Tags:

Print Print
« The iSlate and the future of magazines (and Afar!)
Brazil’s answer to Marley: Tribo de Jah »

27 Tweets

16 Comments on 'This is your brain on travel'

  1. This is one of those research that supports what we’ve already believed: travel changes how you think and widens your horizon. I don’t think I’ve done much meaningful travel, but I’ve stayed in countries different from my own long enough to know that my horizon has indeed widened. I start to think of something I wouldn’t have thought of before if I hadn’t been out of the country. It’s difficult to think of those million things on the spot. But I can tell everyone that I have become aware of the differences in people and start embracing them more. So, yes. I would agree with this theory, even though there’s no scientific evidence to prove it.

    Monsicha Hoonsuwan

    10 Jan 10 at 5:59 am

  2. So what you’re saying is, I should be a genius by now.

    Lauren Quinn

    11 Jan 10 at 2:01 pm

  3. One of the most educational elements of travel is that it challenges your assumptions. It makes you wonder “why” for things that you always took for granted or thought were standard around the world.

    And, I completely agree that travel makes you realize how little you really know. After three years on the road, I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface.

    Audrey

    11 Jan 10 at 2:23 pm

  4. Hi Derk,

    I agree, but without the scholarship backing me up.

    I remember once interviewing the Wizard of New Zealand (yes, there is one), who put things simply with regards to backpacking, You just will learn that you can do anything.

    Best,
    devin

    devin

    2 Feb 10 at 6:22 am

  5. Really very nice article.I agree, but without the scholarship backing me up.this article are very interesting.

    Easy Travel

    4 Jul 10 at 11:38 pm

  6. Superb article ! I really enjoyed reading it.

    World Travel France

    ******
    Anthony

    World Travel France

    9 Jul 10 at 12:25 pm

Leave a Comment

Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'This is your brain on travel'.

Additional comments powered by BackType