Some people are more open to new cultures than others. Whether you’re interested in submitting yourself to some culture shock or not, we do all enjoy the odd trip away from home, to take in some new sights and to escape the repetition of everyday life.

As we do with every human behavior, we’ve studied travel. Scientists and researchers have been looking into why we like to move about so much, and what effect it has on us. If we think about our curiosity in terms of evolutionary factors, surely it is a risky endeavor—curiosity did kill the cat, after all. Risk aside, there are a few very positive effects that travel has, as Wisebread points out:

1. It Prevents Dementia and Alzheimer’s

The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, the U.S. Travel Association, and the Global Commission on Aging conducted a study in late 2015 and their findings were staggering. A poll revealed that travel can significantly reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, especially in retirees.

Travel helps the brain by forcing it to deal with new environments, smells, scents, and sounds. By shocking your brain with new experiences on a regular basis, you can effectively build new synapses. One of the best cerebral exercises is culture shock. By traveling more frequently, you’re essentially giving your brain a workout and helping it to build these vital connections on a daily basis.

Essentially, travel can form a type of brain-training activity that keeps you sharp and cognitively healthy. Make sure you check out the full post for other science-backed reasons to travel.

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