Seeing your favourite sports team win leaves Brits feeling happy for four hours and nine minutes – longer than the happiness that comes from hearing your partner say “I love you”.
More than a quarter of adults (27%) say the longest-lasting happiness comes from spending time with family, which leaves a glow for four hours and 33 minutes, according to the 2,000 people polled.
And booking a holiday leaves a good feeling for four hours and 31 minutes – while returning from said holiday with a glowing tan creates a happiness lasting four hours and 13 minutes.
But the happy feeling after hearing a partner say “I love you” lasts for just four hours, the research revealed.
Elsewhere on the happiness scale, finishing a workout leaves Brits feeling happier for 30 minutes longer than tucking into junk food.
And bagging a bargain, which leaves people feeling satisfied for three hours and 39 minutes, is better than eating a chocolate bar, being complimented, and having a cold alcoholic drink on a hot day.
The research was commissioned by Capital One UK to mark the opening of Happé Café on 1st and 2nd September – the UK’s first dopamine-inducing café, designed to give people a necessary mood boost.
When quizzed on the activities which make Brits feel most happy, 27% said it was spending time with family, while nearly a quarter (23%) get their dopamine hit from taking a walk in nature.
The birth of a child (21%), getting married (18%), and the day they met their partner (14%) were cited as life’s happiest events – while Friday was named the day people are at their most cheerful.
Nearly six in ten (59%) get their “feel good” from the little things in life, as opposed to grand gestures.
And more than two-thirds (68%) claim they drag out what makes them happy – such as drinking a good cup of tea – to make it last longer.
However, due to the current financial climate, 39% have had to cut back on the things that bring them happiness.
Takeaways (42%), holidays (39%), and social activities with friends (37%) are among the top sacrifices being made.
But a quarter aren‘t prepared to give up their daily coffee, and 21% would continue to go shopping – with 24% feeling a sense of happiness when hitting the high streets.
It also emerged 44% tend to put other people’s happiness ahead of their own – with 57% saying making someone else happy improves their own mood.
More than a quarter (27%) will often go out of their way to spread positivity, while the average adult will treat themselves three times a week to help make them feel better – spending up to £43 each month doing this.
And more than one in three (37%) say they will typically buy something if they are having a good day – but 55% would argue the best things in life are free.
The study, conducted via OnePoll, also found more than half (54%) don’t need to spend money to be happy.
Andrew Clayton, for Capital One UK, said: “As the research reveals, more than half of us get our mood boosts from the little things in life.
“We’re on a mission to drive positive change across the lending market, and promise to put the best interests of our customers first, by doing one small, good thing at a time.
“Our Happé Café brings this to life, offering people a complimentary happiness hit when they need it most.”
Length of happiness list
- Spending time with family – 4 hours 33 minutes
- Booking a holiday – 4 hours 31 minutes
- Getting home from a holiday with a glowing tan – 4 hours 13 minutes
- Your sports team winning – 4 hours 9 minutes
- When your child makes you a piece of art – 4 hours 1 minute
- A partner saying “I love you” – 4 hours
- Playing with your pet – 3 hours 47 minutes
- Finding a bargain in a shop – 3 hours 39 minutes
- Finishing a workout – 3 hours 36 minutes
- Cleaning/tidying the house – 3 hours 36 minutes
- Eating a chocolate bar – 3 hours 34 minutes
- Getting complimented – 3 hours 30 minutes
- Having a cold alcoholic drink on a hot day – 3 hours 17 minutes
- Listening to a song that fills you with nostalgia – 3 hours 9 minutes
- Eating junk food – 3 hours 6 minutes
- Drinking a cup of tea – 3 hours 4 minutes
