United Airlines is celebrating National Plan for Vacation Day with a way to remedy the seasonal blues by teaming up with cognitive scientist Dr. Laurie Santos, host of The Happiness Lab podcast and Ivy League professor, to analyze new research that examines the link between happiness and booking a vacation.

According to a new survey by United, 70% of Americans say booking a plane ticket for a vacation brings them happiness and a majority of people say experiences make them feel happier than material goods.

“Planning a vacation can give you an unexpected happiness bump because experiences matter for our well-being more than we expect,” said Dr. Santos.

“When you book a vacation, you experience the reward of anticipating a positive experience.

“The happiness boost we get from travel can last long after you book your ticket – from the moments you happily anticipate your getaway, to taking the fun trip itself, to the times you recall trip high points with friends once you get back home.”

Customers can receive bonus miles and get their booking boost today if they book a trip from the U.S. to one of 25 international destinations where United is the only U.S. airline providing service. As the world’s largest airline, United connects travelers to more than 360 destinations worldwide.

United’s survey shows that 68% of people say January is a month where they need something to look forward to, while more than half of Americans report experiencing the winter blues.

United’s findings also reveal the power of the positive mood-boost that occurs when a flight for vacation is booked, showing people are almost as happy planning their itinerary (73%) and just as happy sharing memories of the trip with others (83%) as they are experiencing the trip (82%).