10 travel moments suited for bad moods

Time to debunk the myth that happy travellers are better off than those grumpy, frustrated, and generally miserable globe trotters who find fault in every little thing because of a negative attitude. Thanks to a new study by psychology Professor Joseph Forgas at the University of New South Wales, happy travellers may want to change their overly upbeat tune.

Reports from the study in Queensland's Courier Mail newspaper outline the benefit and link to bad moods and memory retention.

"Our research suggests that sadness ... promotes information processing strategies best suited to dealing with more demanding situations," Professor Forgas is quoted as saying

"Positive mood is not universally desirable: people in negative mood are less prone to judgmental errors, are more resistant to eyewitness distortions and are better at producing high-quality, effective persuasive messages," he added.

So while there might be some justification to be a bastard on the road, here are 10 travel moments where being in a bad mood could be to a person's advantage (at least if you take this study seriously and believe it, which I do, because I'm a generally happy person.)

1. Losing baggage

Get angry about losing baggage after a 12 hour flight. Keeping positive will only result in a weak memory of the incident and a re-booking on the same carrier whose customer service agent smiled at you and said, "I'm sorry sir, but we can only compensate you US$15 for your entire luggage of uninsured gifts and valuables. Have a nice day."

2. Getting ripped off by a taxi driver

Letting this roll with a positive mood will only get the traveller into more trouble. Get angry the first time you get snaked for a higher cab fare. If you don't argue then you won't figure out how much it actually costs to make the return trip back to the airport.

3. Losing a passport

Travellers in a negative mood wouldn't have lost their passport in the first place because they would have remembered where they put it due to being more attentive.

4. Free business class upgrade on flights

Congrats! You've just been upgraded to business class. If you were already in a positive mood, this might not be such a great improvement. Hey, everything's groovy already. But if already in a negative mood, you'll relish the extra leg room, warm towelettes, and knowledge all the rest of those poor suckers back in economy are not in fact you.

5. Exploring a touristy local market

Since happy people are "more likely to believe anything they are told," maybe it is a better idea to walk into a market with the 70 percent price markups with a Charlie Brown rain cloud hovering above you.

6. Eating street food

The positively thinking person would say, "Locals consume this shank of lamb with no problems at all. No sweat, I got this." The person in a bad mood would be a bit more cautious, pay more attention to their surroundings and actually notice the lamb has been sitting in the sun all day, has re-grown fur, and decide not to eat something which causes fierce bowel movements well into the next few weeks.

7. Fierce bowel movements due to food poisoning

Becoming familiar with one's bathroom surroundings is an occurrence the active traveller has more than likely experienced at least once. No matter how positive you are before, you will be in a bad mood during and after the...cleansing. Sounds like a perfect way to bring on a horrible mood while travelling. Maybe praying to the porcelain Gods isn't such a bad thing after all.

8. Babies on a plane

As sure as night turns into day, and Armageddon occurring in 2012, passengers flying economy can expect at least one screaming child every third flight. Stop hoping there will be no screaming child. Don't expect a reprieve. Getting on a plane and realizing the infant sitting next to you is due for a good, long cry is a heart crushing feeling. Those already resigned to their flying fates will be better suited to shrug off the inevitable hours of wailing. (For more air travel indignities click HERE.)

9. Getting lost

There are two kinds of reactions that emerge when a person gets truly lost. Frustration and panic, or acceptance and tolerance of the situation. Which type is usually the kind that ends up getting home first, or not getting chopped up by the serial killer? Will the frustrated or panicking person open that door to the creepy house on the hill? Er, no. But the happy person is more likely to think, "Hey, maybe there's some nice people living there that could help us out of this pickle! Lets go see!" then end up stuffed in a jar.

10. Road romance

A negative mood will allow the traveller to more quickly realize that attractive guy or gal is actually wearing a wedding ring, and think twice about taking up their offer for a quick romp. Though, this one could actually go down as a reason for staying happy.