The 5 Things That Make Londoners Happier Than Having Sex

Yeah sex is cool, but have you ever made it from your flat to your desk in under half an hour; had a really cracking eggs benedict; or bagged tickets to the latest must-see West End show?

These are just some of the things that make Londoners happier than having sex, according to the 2018 City Life Index from Time Out. They surveyed more than 3,000 people in the capital, and 31 other cities around the world, about modern city life and found that having a shorter-than-average commute (between 15 and 30 minutes) boosts our happiness more than a spot of action in the bedroom.

Despite having an aloof and impatient reputation, Londoners were found to be a fairly happy bunch on average, with 84.6% of those surveyed claiming to have felt happy in the previous 24 hours.

Surprisingly – or perhaps not, depending on how long you spend on a sweaty Tube every day – the figure rose by 2.2% for those who'd had sex recently but the increase was even greater among those with a commute shorter than the average of 39 minutes.

Eating brunch, going clubbing, seeing live music and going to the theatre also apparently make Londoners happier than sex, and we're not quite sure what to make of it. Some other things that keep their spirits high include being in a new relationship, making a new friend, earning more than £40k, volunteering, exercising and going to the pub.

But Londoners were also found to be the most stressed in Europe, with half of those surveyed claiming to have felt harried over the previous day. Unsurprisingly, housing plays a big part in this – renters were far more stressed than homeowners, backing up previous research on the link between housing problems and mental health.

Being a millennial was also associated with higher stress levels, along with using Facebook or Instagram more than 10 times a day, compulsive email checking, eating lunch at your desk, getting less than seven hours sleep, earning less than £20k and smoking.

The wider survey concluded that Chicago is the world's best city this year, thanks to its "outstanding food and bar scene" and above-average scores for happiness, culture, affordability, city pride and people's feelings towards their neighbourhood. But do its residents care as strongly about their transport system as Londoners do about theirs? No chance.