Why are long haul trips like airplane rides and bus rides so exhausting, even though all we do is sit?
In: Other
While it is not necessary physically exhausting, it also isn’t mentally relaxing. There is constant low level stimulation above a level that would allow you to relax. You have plans to keep in mind, other people to constantly be aware of, etc etc. The whole situation, while not necessarily *un*familiar, is hardly like being plonked down in your house. Your brain does a surprisingly large amount of extra subconscious work while “out and about” just keeping an eye on everything that could change. For 20 minutes this can be recovered from almost without noticing, for 7 hours though? Well that starts to wear you down.
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