Eight in ten Brits hate being spontaneous and want a week’s notice before going out

Eight in 10 Brits avoid being spontaneous and want at least a week’s notice for plans. A poll of 2,000 adults found the top reasons behind this include not wanting to feel rushed (45 per cent), a desire to stay in control of situations (40 per cent), and a lack of motivation or energy at short notice (34 per cent). Nearly half of Brits don’t want to feel rushed which is why they don’t make last-minute plans Credit: Alamy But 17 per cent said the pressure for everything to be “perfect” puts them off making last-minute plans altogether, while 63 per cent admitted they simply prefer to plan ahead rather than be impulsive. Some even take active steps to avoid spontaneity altogether, with 42 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men making excuses to get out of last-minute plans. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It also emerged 29 per cent of adults won’t invite people over at short notice due to worrying about their home being messy, and 23 per cent have gone as far as pretending not to be in rather than answer the door. Despite this, 23 per cent would like to be more spontaneous, and 21 per cent believe it would make life more fun. The research was commissioned by Hotpoint as part of its “Just Come Over Season” encouraging the nation to say yes to spontaneity again this summer. Dr Angharad Rudkin, a clinical psychologist who worked with the appliances brand, said: “What’s exciting about the research is what it reveals about appetite, not just avoidance – people actively want to be more spontaneous, and most already sense it would make us happier. “The barrier isn’t desire, it’s small, fixable habits: feeling rushed, or believing that a home needs to be ‘ready’ before anyone’s invited round. “I’d encourage letting go of those habits – and it doesn’t take much, saying yes to a last-minute invite, or accepting that your home doesn’t need to be perfect, can genuinely shift how connected and fulfilled life feels.” Most read in The Sun The study also found more than a quarter of women (28 per cent) said having a tidy home would help them feel more spontaneous, compared to 19 per cent of men. While 26 per cent of women claimed having food and drinks ready would encourage last-minute plans, something just 19 per cent of men also said. Women were also more likely to feel able to be spontaneous when their home was running smoothly (23 per cent), compared to 18 per cent of men. Kimberley Garner, from Hotpoint, said: “We’ve seen 115 years’ worth of spontaneous hosting, and this research shows just how much pressure people put on themselves before they’ll open their front door. “Just Come Over Season is about giving the nation the confidence to say yes at short notice – because some of the best get-togethers are the ones nobody planned.” Comment now