Taking frequent short breaks is better for you than one long holiday, research has found.

Psychologists believe that people who use their holiday allowance in bursts rather than all in one go are happier.

People who take so-called mini-breaks have more happy memories than those who holiday for an extended period of time, they claimed.

Dan Ariely, a behavioural economist¹ who wrote The Upside of Irrationality², suggested that holidaymakers break up extended time away by doing some work in the middle of their break saying this would make them more appreciative³ of their time away from the office.

The explanation is that people's enjoyment⁴ wanes⁵ as they become accustomed to their holiday lifestyle.

Prof Ariely, who teaches at Duke University in North Carolina, said: "On a long vacation, day seven is less good than day one because it's not as exciting. That's why in general, going away four times [a year] provides more benefit than you would expect, and going away for one week provides less benefit than you would expect."

However other experts disagree. Tim Harford, the author of Dear Undercover Economist, said that taking an increased number of trips would only increase the stress associated with travelling to and from a holiday destination.

He said: "If you pack three times as many holidays into the same amount of leave, you can expect three times as much trouble. It's not obvious to me that it's worth it."

一项研究发现，不时休休短假比一次性休一个长假给人带来的快乐更多。

心理学家认为，分次休假的人比一次性把假休完的人从度假中得到的快乐更多。

心理学家称，休短假的人比休长假的人拥有更多关于度假的美好回忆。

不合理的有利面》一书的作者、行为经济学家丹•阿里利建议，人们应该把长假分成若干次来休，工作一段时间休几天假，这样会更加珍惜休假的时光。

这是因为当人们习惯长假的生活节奏后，度假的愉悦感就会逐渐降低。

在北卡罗来纳的杜克大学执教的阿里利教授说：“如果有一个七天长假，人们在第七天的兴奋感肯定不如第一天。这就是为什么从总体来看，一年休假四次带来的愉悦感超出你的想象，而一次性休假一周则不如你想象中那么快乐。”

然而，其他一些专家并不同意这一观点。《卧底经济学家》一书的作者蒂姆•哈福尔德说，一年休假很多次只会增加往返旅途所带来的压力。

他说：“如果你把一个长假分成三次来休，那你出行的麻烦就会增加三倍。很显然，这样做并不值得。”