As Christmas approaches, it’s time to get spending and look for the best deals on the high street, but are your spending habits dictated by your emotions?

If you're always turning to your wallet when you're feeling particularly bored, stressed or happy, you could be an emotional spender.

MoneySuperMarket.com teamed up with consumer behaviour experts MindLab to delve into the spending attitudes of 2,500 people - and map the spending choices they made to their state of mind.

The study suggested that some of us are particularly prone to emotional spending, with some people showing mild traits and others more severe ones, depending on whether we're feeling bored, stressed or unhappy.

Pip Heywood, brand director at MoneySuperMarket, says: "Everyone has their reasons for buying that handbag, or booking that weekend away in the country, but they probably don't realise that a situation three hours earlier, unrelated to the purchase, prompted them to buy it."

The research found four distinct groups of emotional spender - see if you identify with any of them…

1. Celebrationist spender

Are you more likely to open your wallet when life is on a high? If so, you could be a 'celebrationist spender' - one of the people who overspends when they're feeling good.

You may be likely to go shopping, or spend your hard-earned cash, to reward yourself on a good day.

2. Stressed splurger

Do you find yourself parting with money after a particularly demanding day at work, or when you're feeling frazzled? You could be a 'stressed splurger' - spending impulsively when you're in a heightened state of stress. When in this mood, you're much more likely to overspend on food treats to lift your spirits.

3. Sad spender

Are you someone who turns to the plastic when you're unhappy? Then you could be a 'sad spender' - turning to impulse buys and overspending when you're feeling blue.

These people are likely to splash the cash on 'treat food' to cheer themselves up.

4. Bored buyer

Are you tempted to browse online or hit the high street when you're at a loose end? If you find yourself doing this regularly, you could be a 'bored buyer'.

You're maybe a little bit reckless when spending your hard-earned cash, showing much more impulsive traits than other types of spender and making snap decisions about what to put in your basket. As well as clothes and food treats, bored buyers turn to books and expensive tech items in a bid to entertain themselves.

So which are you? Let us know on out in the comments below or on our Facebook page.