People Who Travel Abroad Are Smarter, More Creative And Richer
If you need any more of an excuse to escape your world and embark on a journey to another country, look no further: A growing body of research is proving that travelers are truly some of the most knowledgeable people on Earth.
Not only are people who study or work abroad proven to be smarter, but they are apparently more creative and open-minded individuals who wind up becoming more successful than people who have never ventured into the great unknown.
When traveling abroad, your senses become completely revitalized.
It's as if a part of you had been on autopilot, sleeping through the mundane tasks we each face in life and forgetting to soak in the experiences surrounding us.
By letting go of the people and places we love and hold so close, we're forced not only to explore an entirely new world but also to discover the person deep within us who has been waiting to break free for quite some time.
So pack your bags, book your flight, and let's explore this crazy, exciting, beautiful place we call Earth.
Our creative sides are unleashed when we explore the world
Opening our eyes to entirely new worlds filled with different ideas, unique perspectives and beautiful people truly liberates us as humans, and it also unleashes our inner creativity.
Traveling is necessary for us to maintain the imaginations we had when we were young. By escaping daily life and venturing to a new country, we develop new perspectives that shape our lives upon returning, CNN reports.
Playing hookie from school or work won't cut it, says Adam Galinsky, researcher and professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He tells CNN,
Not just taking time off from work, but actually getting away from where you live is really important because that's the only way that you can achieve that perspective.
So perhaps the reason we feel refreshed and ready to take on life with new energy after returning from an extended vacation is that we've unlocked the creative side that's been hiding deep inside us.
Traveling abroad will make you richer
A 10-month study published in the journal of Social Psychological & Personality Science shows that individuals who immerse themselves in a multicultural environment are offered more jobs than people who have never lived abroad, according to Time.
Those who spent the 10 months abroad developed more multicultural engagement then participants who remained at home.
Another interesting discovery? The more an individual engaged in multicultural conversation, problem-solving and intercommunication increased just how "integratively complex" -- the ability to reach mutually advantageous solutions for everyone -- their thinking became.
William Maddux, an author of the study, writes in the Harvard Business Review,
People who have international experience or identify with more than one nationality are better problem solvers and display more creativity, our research suggests. What's more, we found that people with this international experience are more likely to create new businesses and products and to be promoted.
By living abroad, even if it's just for a few weeks, you'll increase your connections around the globe and develop your reputation across seas. Your net worth is only as large as your network, which makes traveling even more crucial in becoming successful.
People who study or work abroad are more intelligent
When we are left to our own devices in a completely new setting, it feels like our entire world has been thrown upside down, and that can be really scary.
But, if you are able to put aside your fears and embark on your travels with an open mind, the culture and traditions you immerse yourself in will reward you with so much knowledge.
According to a study conducted at Indiana University, people who travel use their intelligence and global experiences as a means of problem-solving.
Jonah Lehrer, an author of the study, writes,
The experience of another culture endows the traveler with a valuable open-mindedness, making it easier for him or her to realize that a single thing can have multiple meanings.
Diverse experiences often teach us something we never would have learned if we had stayed within our normal environments.
When we travel the world, learning through discovery and exploration is simply inevitable. Through this type of learning, travelers are transformed into smarter, more open-minded global citizens.
Citations: How Studying or Working Abroad Makes You Smarter (TIME ), Be A Better Manager: Live Abroad (Harvard Business Review), Why your brain needs vacations (CNN)
