Every Friday when you leave work, you dream of having that perfect weekend, that two day holiday that will go down through the ages. So when Monday finally rolls around and all you’ve done is lay in bed and wasted the last two days doing absolutely nothing, of course, you don’t want to tell your colleges that. So, you make up a little white lie to make yourself sound interesting…
We live in a world where we constantly post edited videos and images of ourselves online to show everyone else how fantastic our lives are. Even if when having a terrible time, we make sure to upload images so everyone else becomes envious of us.
It should come as no surprise that people do this all the time when talking to you about their weekends on a Monday morning. You can’t say that you had a boring weekend watching bad TV. Instead, you decide to talk about how you spent the weekend culturally finding yourself and becoming comfortable with who you really are.
Millions of workers admit to spinning stories about their weekends – to make their lives sound more exciting to their colleagues, a study has found.
When asked about their weekends on a Monday morning, a poll of 2,000 workers found three in ten exaggerate or make up what they did to avoid having to admit to staying in or not really doing anything.
Pretending they went to the pub with friends instead of just sitting in front of the TV is the most common fib, followed by making out they went to an expensive restaurant or got in a workout at the gym. Going on a mini-break, seeing a gig or playing a sport are also among the top ten lies workers tell on a Monday morning. But one in five have been caught out fibbing about their weekend activities. It also emerged 51 per cent usually regret not making the most of their two days off work.
A spokesman for Holiday Inn, who commissioned the research, said: “Being asked ‘what did you get up to at the weekend’ is a common question from colleagues and friends on a Monday morning.
“While this is great if you did something exciting, it can be awkward if you had a weekend where you didn’t even leave the house. Rather than admit to a quiet weekend, many are making-up more exciting activities to avoid looking boring in front of others.
“One respondent told a colleague they had gone on a city break, not knowing their co-worker had seen them walking around their hometown. Going away for the weekend can add instant colour to your Monday morning weekend chat.”
The study found a third of workers dread colleagues asking what they did at the weekends in case it comes across as boring.
Social media is also filling Brits with weekend remorse, with more than one in ten admitting to posting old photos on their Instagram account to make their weekends look more action-packed. And if they do go away for the weekend, more than half say they would immediately share photos on social media. But seven in ten wouldn’t dream of telling colleagues they did nothing at all over the weekend.
The research carried out via OnePoll, also revealed that a quarter of Brits reckon they go on more weekend breaks than they did five years ago.
When it comes to trying to impress their colleagues, workers think attending a music event is the best weekend activity to do, along with relaxing at a spa, exploring a different UK city and participating in an extreme sport.
The top 10 fibs or exaggerations workers make about their weekend:
1. Going to the pub
2. Going to an expensive restaurant for dinner
3. Visiting the gym
4. Doing a cultural activity
5. Taking a road trip
6. Playing sports
7. Visiting a high-end cocktail bar
8. Going to a gig
9. Going on a mini break
10. Taking a bike ride
