Does your routine have you feeling like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day: stuck in an infinite loop? You wake up, go to the gym, work, commute home, cook dinner, go to sleep—rinse and repeat.

When the everyday starts to feel mundane, there’s no better way to shake things up than with a vacation. While traveling can help you get out of a funk, it may also slow the hands of time, according to a new interdisciplinary study from Edith Cowan University (ECU).

In the study, researchers applied the theory of entropy to travel in aging adults and the findings were quite surprising. While the theory of entropy is quite intricate, in simple terms it refers to the general trend of the universe towards death and disorder. Through the lens of entropy, the researchers found that positive experiences while traveling could mitigate entropy increases and enhance health. Negative experiences, on the other, hand could compromise health. 

Related: 2024 Men’s Journal Travel Awards: Best Vacations, Hotels, and Luggage

“Aging, as a process, is irreversible. While it can’t be stopped, it can be slowed down,”  said ECU PhD candidate Fangli Hu.

While there are plenty of aspects of travel that are stressful—like rushing to the airport, unexpected expenses, and bad weather—it’s said that the positives such as exposure to new environments, engagement in physical activities and social interaction, and the fostering of positive emotions far outweigh the negatives. In fact, positive travel experiences can even help the body sustain a low-entropy state and, in turn, trigger an adaptive immune system response and elevate metabolic rates.

“Put simply, the self-defense system becomes more resilient,” Hu said. “Hormones conducive to tissue repair and regeneration may be released and promote the self-healing system’s functioning.”

Related: 50 Best Hikes in the World Every Adventurer Should Do in Their Lifetime

While any kind of relaxing vacation can have long-term effects, the study suggests that if you take a trip with physical activity like hiking, walking, and cycling at the forefront, the benefits are twofold. 

“Participating in these activities could enhance the body’s immune function and self-defense capabilities, bolstering its hardiness to external risks,” Hu said. “Physical exercise may also improve blood circulation, expedite nutrient transport, and aid waste elimination to collectively maintain an active self-healing system. Moderate exercise is beneficial to the bones, muscles, and joints in addition to supporting the body’s anti-wear-and-tear system.” 

The idea that lower levels of stress allow people to age better, is nothing new. Research suggests that exposure to stress can increase biological age in not only humans but mice as well. However, once the stressor is removed, the biological age decreases after the stress is resolved. For example, if you’re having an extra stressful month at work—you’re spending long hours at the office and losing sleep night after night—a stress-free vacation may be just what you need.