OVER A QUARTER OF BRITONS LIE ABOUT THEIR WEEKEND ACTIVITIES IN ORDER TO IMPRESS OTHERS

One in four Britons is suffering from a new psychological condition – called ‘Weekendvy’, a new study out today has revealed. ‘Weekendvy’ means we are ‘economical with the truth’ when confronted by colleagues and friends at the start of the week – when asked “How was your weekend?”

The study commissioned by Travelodge surveyed 5,000 adults to investigate how Britons spend their weekend in today’s high technology world.

Findings revealed the pressure for Britons to have an action packed fun weekend is so high that over a quarter of (27%) of adults will lie, about what they got up to over the weekend – in order to sound cool and impress others.

Britons are hit the hardest by the psychological condition – ‘Weekendvy’ on Monday morning especially within the workplace and when updating their Facebook page.

The top five most popular activities Britons will pretend they did over the weekend when they didn’t are:

1. Paint the town red on Saturday night with their partner or friend

2. Visited friends

3. Went to a dinner party

4. Went out for a romantic meal

5. Took a short break – when really they just re-told of an old experience where they took a UK short break and made it sound like they went at the weekend

Top UK Psychologist, Corinne Sweet commented on the findings and said: “The Travelodge weekend study has exposed a new psychological condition we Brits are suffering from: ‘Weekendvy’. It’s to do with needing to feel like an ‘Alpha’ male or female, with high status. As we don’t want to admit that most of our weekend time is spent trying to catch up with housework, paperwork and lost sleep. It’s the horrible feeling that everyone else is having a better time than us, going away, partying or having fun. No-one likes to think of themselves as lonely, or boring, so we like to create a psychological ‘smoke-screen’ pretending, a bit like Bridget Jones, that we’re having a wonderful time, when we’re not.

‘Weekendvy’ means we pretend we’re having romantic weekend breaks, learning new skills, or having wonderful sex, when in fact most of us are trying to catch up on lost sleep and overwhelming household chores and paperwork.”

Listed below are the top seven regions where adults are hardest hit by ‘Weekendvy‘:

1. Wales

2. London

3. West Midlands / Scotland

4. North West / South East / North East

5. Yorkshire

6. Yorkshire

7. East Anglia

Further findings from the report revealed the stresses and pressures of living in a fast paced 24 / 7 culture is certainly taking its toll as one in three Britons reported their weekend is just becoming an extension of their working week due to work commitments.

Twenty nine per cent of adults stated they are so exhausted and tired by Friday evening that they regularly spend their weekend catching up on sleep.

Four out ten adults surveyed stated they wish they could have more fun at the weekends like they use to be able to due.

One in ten adults stated that they do not get any time for themselves during the weekend as their time is taken up with family commitments.

The report also revealed traditional weekend rituals such as the traditional Sunday lie-in and having a Sunday roast dinner are also on the decline. Just 23% of adults reported they have a regular lie in on a Sunday morning with the average lie-in being one hour and four minutes. Twenty one per cent of respondents reported they have a traditional roast dinner every Sunday, with chicken being the top choice followed by beef and pork. In addition only 12% of adults go to Church on a Sunday.

Other key findings from the report included:

· Forty four per cent of adults reported they wish they could have more fun at the weekend.

· Thirty four per cent of respondents stated they wish they could get out more at the weekends and explore the UK.

· Twenty one per cent of adults feel their friends and work colleagues have more fun than they do at the weekend.

· Twenty six per cent of respondents reported they wish they could be more spontaneous at the weekend.

· Eighteen per cent of Britons has never taken a UK short break.

The report also revealed that on average Britons spend 21 days a year (two a week) at work making weekend arrangements. With Monday morning, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon being the peak arrangement times to email and make calls.

Travelodge Spokeswoman, Shakila Ahmed said: “It’s time to reclaim our weekend. Who hasn’t sat down on Sunday evening and wondered where the weekend went? With more of us working longer hours, these two precious days designed for rest and recuperation are too often consumed by a whirl of duties and catching up with ourselves. You can cure ‘Weekendvy’, with a few tweaks to your routine, a little originality and ingenuity and you can make the world of difference to your lifestyle.

To help Britons reclaim their weekend, Travelodge is offering thousands of £19 rooms across the UK for a quick getaway. It’s amazing what’s on your doorstep within hours you could be at the seaside or exploring one of the UK’s great 66 cities.”

Listed below are some tips to help Britons reclaim their weekend:

1. Jot Down A Plan For The Weekend – By creating a plan you are more likely to make time for fun and stop shopping, cleaning, cooking, and chores dominating your weekend.

2. Shift The Chores To Weekdays – Do the supermarket run, house cleaning or laundry on Thursday or Friday night.

3. Get Out Of Bed At The Same Time As Weekdays – Don’t lose half the day under the duvet. In addition to freeing up more time for your weekend fun, you’ll also regulate your body clock better and avoid that Monday morning “hungover” feeling.

4. Make One Day A Fun Day – Don’t let errands and work spread to both Saturday and Sunday. Make one day for activities that makes you happy.

The table below highlights the different types of chores that take up Britons time over the weekend

Time Hrs

Activities

1:45

Food shopping

2.00

Running errands such as picking up dry-cleaning or shopping for a particular item

2.00

Gym or exercise

2.35

Catching up with work emails and work

2.00

Catching up with programmes recorded on Skyplus during the week

2.00

Visiting parents or other family members

2.45

Catching up on housework

1.00

Paying bills and catching up on paperwork

1.50

Laundry

1.00

Change and make the beds

1.16

Catch up on emails and update social network sites

3.00

Adults who have children – Taxi service taking kids to parties and their activities

4.25

Cooking meals over the weekend

2.00

Doing DIY or gardening jobs around the house

0.45

Reading the weekend papers

0.45

Preparing for the week ahead