What's the most meaningful way to end a vacation?
Research finds that we prefer the familiar when an experience is coming to a close.
Here’s something to think about as you plan a vacation this summer: what will you do on the last day? Will you:
A) Squeeze in one final new activity (try a new restaurant, explore a new trail, etc.)?
B) Return to something you enjoyed earlier in the week (revisit a beach everyone seemed to like, go back to the fun ice cream shop, etc.)?
This question was examined in a fascinating research paper titled, Ending on a Familiar Note: Perceived Endings Motivate Repeat Consumption.
As the title hints at, most people go with option B. Why? It has to do with the way we respond to endings.
When something is about to end, people prefer the familiar.
In the study, researchers found that “in ending contexts—that is, when people perceive a shrinking window of opportunity to enjoy some type of activity,” they tend to choose old favorites over new options.
Researchers landed on this finding through a series of experiments. In one, participants were asked to choose between new and old experiences. Watching a new movie or one you’ve seen before; reading a new book or returning to an old one; eating a new dessert or repeating a familiar treat.
An experimental group was given an additional prompt: This is the last time you’ll be doing this activity for a while. This was the endings group.
In almost every instance, those in the endings category (who made their choices with the knowledge that it would be the last instance for some time) selected the familiar option more than the people who weren’t given that prompt.
We want endings to be personally meaningful.
Why do we gravitate toward the familiar in the context of endings? In later experiments, researchers were able to learn more about what motivates people to lean in the familiar direction.
“We found that perceived endings increase the preference for familiarity because they increase people’s desire to ensure a personally meaningful experience on which to end, and returning to old favorites is typically more meaningful,” researchers wrote in the paper.
The explanation offered by the researchers is simple: You have one final chance do to something, so you want to make it meaningful. The familiar option—one you know is meaningful—is the safer, more predictable bet. The new option is riskier as there’s a chance it won’t be meaningful and then you’ve bungled the last day of the trip.
What will you do?
Which group do you fall into? Are you someone who likes to return to the familiar on the last day? Or are you more likely to knock one final item off the itinerary and explore something new?
I looked at photos from my past vacations and, in my case, the research held up. The photos taken on the last day showed me and my family repeating experiences from earlier in the trip.
Whichever option you choose, I hope you end your next vacation on a high note. Thanks for reading.
Eric