Sleepy travelers on holidays: How social jetlag affects intention to participate in tourism activity

Social jetlag, the misalignment between an individual’s biological clock and social time, is common in daily life. Travelers may experience it when their circadian rhythm mismatches with travel schedules. We examined how social jetlag impacts individuals differently while traveling. Using public data, we confirmed that short sleepers are more likely to engage in impulsive and socializing activities (Study 1). Then, two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of social jetlag in a tourism context. The interaction effect of chronotypes and the timing of activities showed the opposite direction, with social jetlag decreasing travelers’ intention to participate (Study 2). We found that this effect was mediated by higher fatigue and lower state impulsivity (Study 3). This research explores how chronotypes and activity schedules influence tourists’ resource conservation strategies, offering evidence of synchrony effects. The findings provide insights for marketers to tailor tourism products to travelers’ chronobiological traits, enhancing their well-being.