Why do we act and sound like someone else after a trip?
Travelers often unconsciously adopt the accents, mannerisms, and styles of the places they visit, a phenomenon that can persist after returning home. Experts suggest this is a natural human tendency to mirror others to build rapport and fit into new social environments.
Why it matters
This behavior highlights the psychological impact of travel and the human drive for social belonging and cultural adaptation.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google David Farley Alamy (Credit: Alamy) Instead of bringing back souvenirs, some travellers return home from holiday with an entirely different accent, look and mannerisms. But why?
When I was in my 20s, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had a yen for travel, so I settled in Prague. Three years and hundreds of pints of Czech pilsner later, I moved back to the US with something I hadn't planned: a new look and accent.
Out was my long, dark-blonde hair and my utilitarian jean-and-T-shirt style of dress; and in was my cropped bleach-blond hair, an androgynous fashion sense and a new affectation that sounded somewhere between central Bohemian and pretentious.
My family hated this new me. And looking back, I would have hated me, too.
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