Researchers have discovered the top 50 ‘little things’ Brits most look forward to – including getting into bed with fresh sheets, sitting down in front of the TV at the end of a long day and putting your PJs on.
A study of 2,000 adults revealed the everyday moments people yearn for such as having a bath, reading in bed, and simply tucking into your evening meal.
Kicking off your shoes when you get home and putting fresh washing away were other small moments that bring daily joy.
Meeting friends for a catch-up and sipping your morning beverage also featured highly, with 63 per cent saying their mood perks up after the first drink of the day – which was found to typically be enjoyed at 8.53am.
The research, commissioned by Costa Coffee which is offering a free coffee via its app throughout July, also found 78 per cent believe it’s important to treat themselves to the things that make them happy each day.
And as routines begin to get back to normal, Brits are venturing back out to other moments they look forward to, such as socialising with friends and eating out in cafes and restaurants.
Spending time with the wider family, going to the gym, watching a movie at the cinema and enjoying barista coffee were also among the other small joys missed by many in recent months.
It also emerged the average adult will experience four ‘highs’ each day – including getting an early night and getting the kids to bed on time.
And since lockdown, six in 10 have found themselves looking forward to the smaller, everyday moments more than ever before, with these highlights causing feelings of ‘relaxation’ and ‘contentment’.
But these highs are balanced out by an average of four ‘lows’, such as getting stuck in traffic, being late for work or forgetting their wallet.
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also revealed that the average adult typically goes for a lunchtime walk at 1.07pm, changes out of work clothes at 6.37pm and finally switches off at 8.05pm.
And 5.11pm was the average time Brits look forward to most in the day – aligning with the end of the standard working day.
Neil Lake, managing director of Costa Coffee UK&I, said: “With many stores now safely re-opened, you can now enjoy relaxing in store and catching up with family and friends – simple pleasures that we all perhaps previously took for granted.
“To help you enjoy more of these missed moments, as well as a free drink, we’re also passing back the VAT saving to customers and, from the 3rd-31st August, will be operating the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.
“We hope that customers not only enjoy treating themselves to a drink, on us, but also look forward to meeting up with friends and family in-store again.
“A barista-crafted morning or afternoon pick-me-up has clearly been missed by millions and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to our stores.”
TOP 50 THINGS BRITS LOOK FORWARD TO IN A TYPICAL DAY
1. Watching evening TV
2. Going to sleep
3. Eating an evening meal
4. Getting into bed with fresh bedding
5. Sitting down with a cup of tea/coffee in peace
6. Putting your feet up and sitting on the sofa in the evening
7. Going for a walk
8. Having a cup of tea
9. Watching another episode of a TV series
10. Sitting in the garden
11. Having a shower
12. Watching a film
13. Eating lunch
14. Taking your shoes off knowing your not leaving the house again
15. The first morning coffee
16. Reading in bed in the evening
17. Eating breakfast food
18. Getting into bed with your partner
19. Having a bath
20. Meeting friends for a catch up
21. Putting pyjamas on
22. Pouring a glass of wine
23. Changing from work clothes to loungewear
24. Finishing a chapter of a book
25. Listening to the radio
26. Turning your work laptop/computer off for the day
27. Taking your bra off
28. Driving your car
29. Taking your dog for a walk
30. Taking a trip to a café with friends
31. Cooking for others
32. Finishing a workout
33. Spending money
34. Going to a café for brunch
35. Putting fresh washing away
36. Going to the gym
37. Playing with your kids
38. Going for a bike ride
39. Buying a barista coffee
40. Getting dressed in smart/fancy clothes
41. Listening to a podcast
42. Going for a run
43. Taking make up off
44. Hanging up the phone on your last work call of the day
45. Doing your night time skin care regime
46. Putting your kids to bed
47. Applying your make up
48. Seeing your colleagues
49. Styling your hair
50. Reading your kids a bedtime story
TOP 10 THINGS BRITS MISSED MOST DURING LOCKDOWN
1. Going to a restaurant
2. Meeting friends for a catch up
3. Spending time with wider family
4. Eating lunch out
5. Having a pint at the pub
6. Taking a trip to a café with friends
7. Going to the cinema
8. Going to a café for brunch
9. Buying a barista coffee from a café
10. Going to the gym
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
// We only want these styles applied when javascript is enabled
$(‘.gal_content’).css(‘display’, ‘block’);
// Initialize Advanced Galleriffic Gallery
var gallery = $(‘#thumbs_40622_1’).galleriffic({
delay: 3500,
numThumbs: 12,
preloadAhead: 12,
enableTopPager: false,
enableBottomPager: false,
imageContainerSel: ‘#slideshow_40622_1’,
controlsContainerSel: ‘#controls_40622_1’,
captionContainerSel: ‘#caption_40622_1’,
loadingContainerSel: ‘#loading_40622_1’,
renderSSControls: true,
renderNavControls: false,
playLinkText: ‘Play Slideshow’,
pauseLinkText: ‘Pause Slideshow’,
enableHistory: 0,
autoStart: 0,
enableKeyboardNavigation: true,
syncTransitions: false,
defaultTransitionDuration: 300,
onTransitionOut: function(slide, caption, isSync, callback) {
slide.fadeTo(this.getDefaultTransitionDuration(isSync), 0.0, callback);
caption.fadeTo(this.getDefaultTransitionDuration(isSync), 0.0);
},
onTransitionIn: function(slide, caption, isSync) {
var duration = this.getDefaultTransitionDuration(isSync);
slide.fadeTo(duration, 1.0);
// Position the caption at the bottom of the image and set its opacity
var slideImage = slide.find(‘img’);
caption.fadeTo(duration, 1.0);
},
onPageTransitionOut: function(callback) {
//this.hide();
setTimeout(callback, 100); // wait a bit
},
onPageTransitionIn: function() {
var prevPageLink = this.find(‘a.prev’).css({‘opacity’: ‘0.3’ , ‘display’ : ‘inline-block’, ‘cursor’ : ‘default’});
var nextPageLink = this.find(‘a.next’).css({‘opacity’: ‘0.3’ , ‘display’ : ‘inline-block’, ‘cursor’ : ‘default’});
// Show appropriate next / prev page links
if (this.displayedPage > 0)
prevPageLink.css({‘opacity’ : ‘1’ , ‘display’ : ‘inline-block’, ‘cursor’ : ‘pointer’});
var lastPage = this.getNumPages() – 1;
if (this.displayedPage < lastPage)
nextPageLink.css({'opacity' : '1' , 'display' : 'inline-block', 'cursor' : 'pointer'});
this.fadeTo('fast', 1.0);
}
});
/**************** Event handlers for custom next / prev page links **********************/
gallery.find('a.prev').click(function(e) {
gallery.previousPage();
e.preventDefault();
});
gallery.find('a.next').click(function(e) {
gallery.nextPage();
e.preventDefault();
});
});
ENDS
