Win for sports team gives longer-lasting happiness than words ‘I love you’, research finds

A win for our favourite sports team gives longer-lasting happiness than hearing the words ‘I love you’, research has revealed.

Declarations of love from a romantic partner made people feel good for four hours on average, in a study of 2,000 adults. But victory for your team gave a warm fuzzy feeling lasting nine minutes longer.

Family time gave the longest-lasting glow, at four hours, 33 minutes, followed by booking a holiday (fours hours, 13 minutes).

But finishing a workout (three hours, 36 minutes) left people feeling happier for half an hour longer than tucking into junk food (three hours, 6 minutes).

And the pleasure of bagging a bargain (three hours, 39 minutes) lasted longer than eating a chocolate bar, being complimented and quaffing a cold alcoholic drink on a hot day.

Arsenal fans celebrate during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium in London yesterday. A win for our favourite sports team gives longer-lasting happiness than hearing the words ‘I love you’, research has revealed

Mentioned by 27 per cent of Britons quizzed, time spent with family topped the list of activities that make us feel happy, while 23 per cent chose walking in nature.

Six in ten preferred simple pleasures to grand gestures. And while more than half said they didn’t need to spend money to feel good, adults gave themselves mood-boosting treats three times a week on average – at a monthly cost of £43.

The research was commissioned by credit card provider Capital One UK to mark the opening of its free pop-up Happe Cafe in London which it says will create feelings of wellbeing for its customers.

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.’