New research from Crucial.com has revealed that Brits would prefer to spend their free time sleeping rather than going on a romantic date with their partner. According to the study, a third of Brits would choose to take a nap if they had a few extra hours leisure time whereas only 13% would choose to spend this time socialising with their other half. UK partners may be feeling suitably put out, as 1 in 5 people would rather spend their free time hitting the gym and 18% would prioritise catching up on work over a date night with a loved one.
These findings are a result of research from Crucial.com, revealing that people in the UK are wasting over 39 hours each year waiting for frustratingly slow technology to complete everyday tasks, with some individuals wasting as many as 121 hours (or five full days) a year. For the whole of the UK, this equates to a staggering 2.1 billion hours of wasted time each year.
For those who reported that they had wasted time on slow computers, over a quarter said they would rather spend this time cooking a family meal, and 24% said they would prefer to spend more time with their children. 42% would simply like to catch up on TV or a movie. Thinking about the 39 hours of wasted time each year, this could equate to: 78 bedtime stories for children, 39 family meals, 26 gym sessions, 16 movies or 10 date nights.
Roddy McLean, a computer upgrade expert from Crucial.com, said: "Families and couples today have such busy schedules and often find it difficult to make time for each other, without everyday annoyances such as slow-running technology adding to this problem." He continued: "A simple computer memory upgrade is quick and easy to complete and will speed up a slow laptop or PC – with the overall hours saved, people can spend more time with family or keep their partner happy by treating them to a few extra date nights."
It appears that Brits may benefit from some quality time with their partners as the research showed that 14% of couples have even argued over the use that one or both of them makes of technology and, surprisingly, more than 1 in 10 (11%) people claimed to spend more time at home with technology than with their significant other. Half (50%) of people admitted that they spend more time using technology at home than a year ago and almost a quarter (23%) of those surveyed believe that they are spending too much time using technology such as laptops, PCs and tablet devices.
Top things people would like to do with the time wasted on slow computers:
Watch TV/a movie
42%
Take a nap
33%
Cook a family meal
26%
Spend more time with children
24%
Go to the gym
20%
Catch up on work
18%
Read my child a bedtime story
15%
Go for dinner/drinks with friends
15%
Go on a date with their partner
13%