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

這是因為當人們習慣長假的生活節奏后，度假的愉悅感就會逐漸降低。

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."

在北卡羅來納的杜克大學執教的阿里利教授說：“如果有一個七天長假，人們在第七天的興奮感肯定不如第一天。這就是為什么從總體來看，一年休假四次帶來的愉悅感超出你的想象，而一次性休假一周則不如你想象中那么快樂。”

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，其他一些專家并不同意這一觀點。《臥底經濟學家》一書的作者蒂姆•哈福爾德說，一年休假很多次只會增加往返旅途所帶來的壓力。

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."

他說：“如果你把一個長假分成三次來休，那你出行的麻煩就會增加三倍。很顯然，這樣做并不值得。”