The psychology of holiday countdowns

The happiness is in the run-up

A Dutch study led by Jeroen Nawijn, published in 2010, followed 1,530 adults, 974 of whom took a holiday during the study. People who were planning a trip reported higher happiness than those who weren't, an effect the researchers linked to anticipation. After returning, most holidaymakers were barely happier than non-travellers. Only very relaxing trips gave a small lift, and it had faded by eight weeks.

The study was about vacations, not Christmas or Diwali, so it can't prove the same for every celebration. It does fit a wider pattern: much of the pleasure of a good event happens before it starts.

Why anticipation feels so strong

Psychologists Leaf Van Boven and Laurence Ashworth found that people report more intense emotions when they anticipate an event than when they look back on it. One explanation they give is that we imagine future events in more detail than we remember past ones. Picturing the lights, the food and the people makes the feeling vivid, and a countdown gives that picture a regular prompt.

How the countdowns here count

Every holiday countdown on this site counts to midnight at the start of the day in your own time zone, using the clock on your device. Someone in Sydney and someone in London see different numbers at the same moment, because the day begins at different times for them. When the day arrives where you are, the countdown turns into a small celebration.

Making the waiting count

A countdown works best when it marks small moments along the way as well as the shrinking number. Ideas that build anticipation without adding stress:

• Pick milestones (30, 14 and 7 days) and attach a small task or treat to each one.
• Share the live countdown with family or friends so you look forward together.
• Keep a short checklist on the holiday page and tick one item per week instead of everything in the last days.
• Talk about what you are looking forward to; describing it in detail makes the feeling stronger.

When counting down doesn't help

Anticipation can turn into pressure when a countdown is mostly a reminder of jobs still to do. If the number makes you anxious, hide it for a while, or split preparations into earlier milestones. And for some people holidays are a hard time; a countdown should be a choice, never an obligation.