Study: People Who Put Up Christmas Decorations Early, Happier, Healthier

Christmas

While you may personally groan when you see stores starting to put out holiday decorations before Halloween even has its chance to shine, a new study has found that people who put up their Christmas decorations early are happier and healthier buy may be more nostalgic and reluctant to let go of their childhood memories. 

Experts say people who put up their Christmas decorations early also typically have a psychological make-up that allows them to lead more fulfilled lives. 

In an interview with Unilad, psychologist Steve McKeown saidpeople who like to decorate their homes before the rest of us Scrooges, are simply tapping into the excitement of the holidays - which makes them happier.

"In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate to things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of the childhood," McKeown said. "Decorations are simply an anchor or pathway to those old childhood magical emotions of excitement."

McKeown is backed up by thirty years worth of research. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people who put up decorations earlier in the year could be over-compensating for past disappointments in the holiday and are attempting to avoid it for the upcoming year (see: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation)

So don't feel bad about ordering your tree early this year. Break out the tinsel and lights and get them up on your house this weekend. Your neighbors might wonder what you're up to, but at least you won't be like them when they have to work outside in freezing weather. 

Photo: Getty Images


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