Researchers from Helsinki University have show that winter holidays to the sun can improve a variety of ailments. Even traveller’s diarrhoea.

An unorthodox, new study has shown that holidays in the tropics can improve mental wellbeing. This was the case even when the holiday itself didn’t quite go to plan.

The findings published in the International Journal of Environmental Research Research and Public Health showed a strong link between winter sun and mental health.

The study, conducted in Benin, West Africa by the University of Helsinki, showed that financial, mental and physical maladies - such as Bali Belly - are more bearable when abroad.

The Nordic faculty, which is well known for its research into seasonal affective disorder and winter sunshine, has now turned its attention to the other factors which benefit travellers.

“The aim of this study was to assess the impact of tropical holidays on psychological well-being,” read the abstract co-authored by Tanja Laukkala, Tom Rosenström, and Anu Kantele.

“Holidays’ positive effect on mental well-being is an intuitive explanation for why people travel to tropics so much despite the behaviour´s obvious financial and environmental costs, and frequent costs in terms of physical health, such as contracting traveller’s diarrhoea.”

To do this the team conducted an experiment involving a randomised trial of anti-diarrhoea medicine.

174 participants from Scandinavia were invited on the trial, which took place during a 12-day holiday on the Gulf of Guinea. Some of these tourists were supplied with a placebo instead of medicine, in the area where diarrhoea and waterborne disease is rampant.

Despite playing Bali Belly roulette, the study concluded that mental wellbeing improved in all participants.

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“Our data confirm the results of previous studies by showing that a holiday in the tropics supports psychological well-being,” they said.

Tourists exposed to tropical sun during winter, especially those travelling from Nordic regions, were shown to enjoy “longer-lasting well-being benefits than summertime travels”.

The University of Helsinki found travellers' mental wellbeing showed the most profound improvements during winter. Photo / CMOphoto, Unsplash

In addition to this, the study was able to contribute to the “scarce research” on traveller’ diarrhoea.

The findings showed that those suffering from a stomach upset on holiday are likely to still enjoy some mental health benefits, whereas those falling ill on return home are likely to have less rosy memories of their time spent abroad.

“The impact of TD [traveller’s diarrhoea] appeared to depend on its timing: TD during the trip did not have an impact on the reported well-being, while TD after the return decreased it.”

All participants gave their written informed consent to the trial which was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Helsinki University Hospital.