A psychological perspective on why we choose the way we choose our holidays

Research published in the Journal of Research in Personality shows that extroverts are attracted to beaches while introverts prefer the mountains.

Beaches, seas, and oceans express freedom, open spaces, and flow, but also emotions like anger in storms, irritation in waves, peace and calm in a quiet sea, unpredictability, and beauty. 

Mountains, on the other hand, bring natural beauty, breathtaking landscapes, grounding through rocks, and well-rooted trees. They offer unlimited possibilities in growth while maintaining realistic expectations. The diversity of ecosystems and life in the mountains teaches us that there is space for everyone in this world.

Even the ocean finds shore in the mountains.

I couldn’t help but wonder: What about the ambiverts? What do they prefer?

In my recent years, I discovered I am an ambivert closer to an introvert. I know, right? Who would say that about knowing me?

The thing is that I learned to be an extrovert as a survival mechanism.

To get back to our topic, I noticed that I get drawn to the sea that breaks its waves into the steady rocks of a mountain, allowing the mountain to ground her while taking her dreams to the sky.

As someone with a migration background, these scene where the water meet the mountain reminds me that no matter how uprooted I might feel from time to time, there is always a mountain in the friendships and new life I build in the country I call home now.

So where do the ambiverts find beauty? In the combination of mountains and sea, the oceans, lakes, or rivers. Water and rocks do not exclude each other, they work together, just like the two parts in an ambivert.

The sea takes the mountains’ dreams and spreads them wide into the open world of the oceans. While the mountains give the sea and rivers a home to rest and find steady ground.

The same dynamic happens with ambivers every day. They are the perfect resting spot in a world where extroverts are praised and introverts are barely noticed, while they make a great difference through silence.

What is your favorite spot for holidays? And what does that reveal about your personality?

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