Sydney, July 21 (IANS) Travel acts as an antidote for the clinically depressed.

'We know that people in The Netherlands and the US who travel report greater levels of happiness than those who do not,' Victoria University researcher Sebastian Filep said.

'Now we have evidence from Australia that there is a link between happiness and travel. Up to now we just had anecdotal reports that there might be a link,' a Victoria University statement quoted Filep as saying.

Filep interviewed a group of 60 Australian travellers and examined their journals to gauge their levels of happiness.

'I found that the tourist motivation for travel, experiences at destinations and post-holiday reflections were linked to three main elements of happiness,' he said.

His study, conducted as part of a doctoral thesis, forms the basis of a chapter in the forthcoming book, 'Tourists, Tourism and the Good Life'.