As we charge along into March, you may already be feeling like you need a break from what 2012 has thrown at you. Recent psychological research suggests that the best vacation you can book for yourself is probably short in duration, and punctuated with plenty of sweet experiences.

Scientists studying what’s called behavioural economics – basically, the psychology of spending – say that we attach less importance generally to how long an event lasted, and more to how strongly we experienced its central feeling. So, a month-long holiday peppered with one budget travel disaster after another would probably be associated with feelings of frustration and anger rather than relaxation and happiness – even though it’s a month long holiday, for crying out loud.

By contrast, a lightning quick weekend away to the most expensive and luxurious spa in the country might leave you with better, and more rejuvenating, memories than the longer, more irksome vacation where your tight budget actually screwed up your trip.

Most people don’t have the finances to make a holiday both as long AND as pleasurable as they’d like it to be. Research shows that the best trade off you can make is to sacrifice time for intensity. Take a shorter break, and spend the money to make sure it’s memorable for all the right reasons.

[Source: Time]