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2. The rides will help reduce your stress levels

 

It's not just your physical health that benefits from visiting Walt Disney World. Your mental health - and even your relationships - could also receive a boost. According to clinical psychologist Judy Kurianski, high-tempo rides such as Expedition Everest expose us to "good fear". Essentially, despite the drops, twists and turns these rides contain, our brains perceive them to be "safe" and "predictable" - so riding them becomes therapeutic. That "good fear" has other benefits, too. Firstly, it causes our bodies to release adrenalin and endorphns, which gives us the same kind of natural high that we get from strenuous physical exercise. It can also help our relationships, because it causes couples to seek each other out for protection and comfort.

1. You'll tone up your muscles

 

It feels like you're aren't doing much when you're on a theme park ride. After all, you're generally strapped into a seat and largely unable to move. But, in fact, your body is working pretty hard. Consider Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom. As you're thrown around its corners, you are tensing up your muscles as you grab onto the handrail in a natural response. Or throwing your arms up into the air to enhance the sensation. In short, you're doing many of the things that you'd do during a workout at the gym. Your body also releases adrenalin and other chemicals in response to the thrill of riding the attraction. These can help to tone your muscles. The Thrill Laboratory's Dr Paul Tennent claims that "if anyone goes to a theme park for a day, it will do the same amount of good as going to a gym and working out intensively for an hour and a half."

 
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Comments

Oh I love this article. Sent it all to my friend who is more than happy to read about all the health benefits for our next trip there. We do wonder how we manage to eat burgers, fries and cakes all week and still lose weight, now we know!

How about the health benefit of I am not going to beat you with a stick if you go to Disney World with me, LOL.

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