The nation have revealed the top 50 ‘simple pleasures’ in life

Researchers polled 2,000 adults to determine all the little things that bring people joy – including hearing nothing but birds tweeting, a cup of coffee in bed – and having dinner made for you.

Sleeping in a big comfy bed, receiving a compliment from a stranger, and having a good hair day all feature in the list.

Other favourites include a roaring fire, getting a cuddle from your children and sitting in a pub’s beer garden.

Life's simple pleasures

The research was commissioned by Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which also commissioned poet Laurie Bolger to come-up with a piece on life’s simple pleasures.

The wordsmith said: “I wanted my poem to remind people about the feeling you get when you are able to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

“But on the other hand, I also wanted to highlight that the reason some of these things are so enjoyable is because they are a break from the norm.

“Feeling the sun on my face is definitely one of my favourite simple pleasures in life, and I’m glad the survey reflected that – and that we’re starting to see brighter weather too.”

The study also found more than three in 10 adults simply named ‘cake’ as one of their favourite simple pleasures, while a quarter love a gossip with friends.

Sixteen per cent enjoy seeing older couples holding hands, and just under one in five enjoy exercise enough to put it on their list.

Going on a bike ride, meeting new people – and wearing a new pair of socks for the first time all appeared in the top 50.