Travel memories more positive than recalling a first kiss for nearly half of people

For almost half of people, special travel memories trigger more positive emotions than remembering their first kiss.

And that’s according to science.

Research used artificial intelligence to ‘measure and visualise the expression of emotions’ related to a variety of memories, with 47 per cent of participants attaching more positive emotions to a unique travel memory compared to recalling their first kiss.

In the study, by GetYourGuide and emotion analytics specialist Tawny, for 42 per cent of the respondents, travel experiences were one of the three most emotionally intense memories.

And for 14 per cent, travel experiences even evoked more positive emotions than holding their firstborn child for the first time, though the latter was, overall, the most intensely positive memory.

Participants from Germany, the U.S and the UK had their faces scanned by facial recognition software as they imagined key moments of their lives – and 47 per cent attached more positive emotions to a unique travel memory compared to recalling 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 key moments of their lives.

As they recalled those memories, their faces were scanned by facial recognition software.

Using artificial intelligence, the software analysed emotional facial micro reactions to rank different memories and describe how negative or positive a reaction was.

Software analysed emotional facial micro reactions to rank different memories and describe how negative or positive a reaction was

‘The first kiss and special travel experience share some psychological similarities. Both are multi-sensory, provoke exhilaration and critically represent a new experience that you have not had before,’ says Anja Goritz, psychologist and full professor for Behavioral Health Technology at Augsburg University.

‘Putting yourself into situations for novel, emotionally rich experiences can benefit your emotional well-being. These types of experiences are also the ones that are likely to form long-term “treasured” memories.’

Johannes Reck, CEO and founder of online travel booking platform GetYourGuide, says: ‘People have the opportunity to be the architects of the emotionally impactful moments of their life. I strongly believe in the power of travel experiences to shape memories.

‘With GetYourGuide we want to hand consumers the key to unlock those feelings of wonder and awe and turn them into lasting memories.’