On any given Friday night, after putting the kids to bed, my husband and I have the same conversation. It usually goes like this: One of us asks the other what we should do for the evening.
“Let’s go out!” we say.
Until we realize that “going out” means having to get dressed, pay for dinner and drinks, find a babysitter, and probably talk to other people. None of those things sound fun, so we end up snacking on the couch while Googling weird things like, “Why does my knee hurt when it rains?”
According to a new British study, this means we’re old. An appliance chain called Currys PC World conducted a sort-of-sciencey study called “The Great Indoors,” in which they quizzed 5,000 people about their social lives. What they found was interesting. Apparently, 31 is the age at which the average adult “officially hangs up their dancing shoes and prefers to stay in.”
And you know what? Although I live across the pond, I totally get it. I’m a homebody too.
In a press release that Currys PC World shared with Babble, they stated:
“Almost half (46 percent) of adults now dread social events or nights out, preferring to “lounge” in the comfort of their own home, with 30 percent of Brits admitting that a perfect night in would be one spent in front of the TV, devouring a boxset.”
The study is drawing some attention online, though, because it also claims that age 37 is too old to go out to the clubs — and even worse, that “a harsh 37 percent of respondents said there is nothing more tragic than seeing adults in their 40s and 50s surrounded by twenty-somethings in pubs and bars.” Geez!
Yet, for a lot of us, it’s not only cheaper but more comfortable to stay in anyway. (Because let’s be real, who wants to wear pants?) At my house, my husband and I can raid the fridge, watch an NCIS marathon, and surf the internet looking for memes to tag each other in. And apparently, we’re not alone.
“The fact [is] that there comes a time when we appreciate our home comforts more than a hectic social life, and it can often be a drag to play the social butterfly at parties and nights out,” said Matt Walburn, the Brand and Communications Director for Currys. “It’s now almost impossible to get bored at home, with endless box sets and the latest technology … That coupled with social media, online shopping, and gaming with pals often means more pleasure can be had on a night IN than a night out.”
But Walburn forgot to mention that, as parents, going out after a hellish week of juggling work and home life — not to mention the dizzying array of scheduled events for kids — would leave us too exhausted and broke.
I can’t imagine strapping on my dancing shoes and hitting the bar or a club at the ripe old age of 38, when instead, I can pull on my sweatpants with the elastic band and an old college tee shirt, twist my hair up into a messy bun (and not that cute “messy” you see on IG, I mean actually messy) and then stare at the boobtube until I fall asleep.
More power to those 30- and 40-somethings out there who can power through the day and enjoy themselves at the club on a Friday night. I’ll be home with a mineral mask and a tub of chocolate ice cream.
Source: babble.com
