The main culprit of holiday syndrome is a drop in adrenaline secretion! Is that all?

Niu Niu: My vacation balance is insufficient and I don't know how to top it up. I'm already feeling uneasy just thinking about going to work. Is this vacation syndrome? Severe cases can lead to unexplained nausea, dizziness, intestinal reactions, anorexia nervosa, anxiety, and neurasthenia.

Binghai: This problem is not easy to solve. A study shows that 64% of people will experience this situation. But don't be afraid. It is different from clinical depression. These problems are short-term.

Niu Niu: What’s the reason? Is it because you are not used to it?

Binghai: There is not much research on this issue. But experts agree that the decline of adrenaline is the culprit. Dr. Moore, a clinical psychologist at Princeton University in the United States, believes that after a major event, the sudden cessation of stress hormones will have a profound impact on our physical and mental health.

Niu Niu: It sounds very metaphysical. I always feel that many experts have not explained the problem clearly.

Binghai: Please note that adrenaline is a measurable indicator. Science can be qualitative and quantitative. It can be falsified, but it is not metaphysics.

Niu Niu: So where is the falsifiability you mentioned reflected?

Binghai: For example, experts believe that holiday syndrome is related to "decline of adrenaline". Then it is certain that those people have higher adrenaline secretion during the holiday, and post-holiday tests can find that their secretion has dropped significantly. If the actual measurement results are not like this, then this view is wrong.

Niu Niu: But some people also told me that I should drink more tea, which can reduce internal heat and make me less likely to lose my temper after the holidays.

Binghai: If it is impossible to quantify the tea, and it is impossible to measure to what extent your fire has been reduced, then the possibility of metaphysics cannot be ruled out.

Niu Niu: So can this statement be falsified?

Binghai: Yes, for example, give group A tea, group B hot chocolate, and group C water. If group B is still happier than group A, or even group C is about the same as group A, then it means that drinking tea is wrong, at least it has nothing to do with reducing internal heat, because drinking water is enough. These are all measurable. If someone proposes a concept but does not clearly explain how to measure it, then you should be careful.

Niu Niu: I want to question! Some things cannot be seen or touched. Does that mean they don’t exist?

Binghai: Please note that what I am talking about here is measurable, not necessarily visible or tangible.

Niu Niu: After all you’ve said, you still haven’t explained clearly why I have holiday syndrome?

Binghai: I still have to point out that there are really not many studies on this, so I can't make random comments. Secondly, we should not look at the problem from a single dimension, and there may be many reasons. For example, some behavioral psychologists believe that the brain's deception mechanism is also a factor, and some psychiatrists believe that pretending to be happy during the holidays will make people physically and mentally exhausted. Some experts believe that high-energy food during the holidays is also one of the reasons.

Niu Niu: Then who should we believe?

Binghai: First of all, it is not necessarily a single cause, it may be multiple causes and one result. Secondly, it is not about who has a higher status that you should believe, but what kind of research they have done to prove their point of view, whether other peers have disproven their point of view, etc.

Niu Niu: Health issues are really complicated, and psychological issues are even more complicated. But it is easy for me to draw conclusions from health care content on the Internet. Why is it so difficult for scientists to draw conclusions?

Binghai: Because scientific conclusions also require evidence, and it is easy to draw conclusions based on conjecture. I can come up with N conclusions for you in a few minutes, and they are all logically self-consistent. For example, if I say "your holiday syndrome is caused by excessive consumption of the soul in your body", it sounds reasonable.

Niu Niu: But the soul cannot be measured, right?

Binghai: Yes, so many metaphysical masters like to say "Science has not studied it clearly, but I already have the answer" - who doesn't have this answer? In fact, every civilization and every country had a very reasonable metaphysical worldview before the birth of scientific methods.

Niu Niu: I understand. But how should I deal with my holiday syndrome?

Binghai: There is really no special method with sufficient evidence. Science always admits its own incompetence. At present, the main thing is not to be afraid of it, because it will soon pass. Of course, if you personally advocate using something without evidence as a placebo, I will not stop you. The premise is that it has no obvious harm.

Niu Niu: Isn’t there any obvious harm in drinking tea?

Binghai: That's right. We do know that "Is method A effective?" is a very simple scientific question and should not be interfered with by any factors. However, "Can I try method A?" is a question that involves many factors, including science, cost, world outlook, values, beliefs, and culture. We cannot force others to consider everything from the single dimension of science.