All cheering, hugging and air kissing – the new attributes of your average Londoner
The world renowned British stiff upper lip has become a thing of the past as we display our emotion and passion in spades, with Londoners regularly shedding a tear, sharing a laugh or embracing a stranger in excitement whilst out in public. Music, cinema and sport really do get our emotions flowing with 7% even confessing to hugging a total stranger in either joy or sorrow when supporting their favourite sports team, research from the UK’s favourite baker, Warburtons, reveals today.
The emotional state of the nation
• The top three events that drive Londoners to display their passionate nature are sporting events (89%), music events (85%) and going to the cinema (78%)
• Over half (52%) of London dwellers would hug someone with them at a wedding, well above the national average.
• 76% have shed a tear or had a good cry in public, and eight out of ten (82%) have done this in front of family and friends.
• Seven out of ten Londoners would shed a tear of emotion during a sad, romantic or scary film at the cinema
Brits are in fact more akin to passionate Italians than the cool Swedes when it comes to showing emotion. A massive 84% of Londoners adopt the “mwah mwah” approach as they greet others with an air kiss or a hug – more than any other region, and an increase of over a quarter (26%) from 15 years ago.
Pride in our work Passion in Brits is not just limited to our hobbies. An impressive 90% of Londoners surveyed feel passionate about their work, with over half (64%) feeling massive pride in what they do for a living. Warburtons, the UK’s favourite baker, commissioned the research to celebrate the launch of its new advertising campaign which highlights the care that its employees take in baking its delicious bakery products with the new strapline – ‘We care because our name’s on it’.
Brits over-index in the passion stakes When plotted on the “passion index”, a formula which indicates passion based on how often people display emotion, the UK reached an average of 69% on the 100% scale – hardly a sign of a reserved nation. Londoners really do wear their hearts on their sleeves, rating 78% on the passion index, making them the most passionate region in the UK.
Richard Hayes, Marketing Director at Warburtons, comments: “This new research brings to light a trend which we have seen developing over the years - the British stiff upper lip finally wobbling as more and more Brits wear their hearts on their sleeves. As a company that takes great pride in what we do, this is something that we see on a daily basis in our staff who put a huge amount of passion into baking the nation’s daily bread.”
