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

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。

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."

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。”

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.

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。

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."

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。”