Royal Caribbean thinks we should play and enjoy life more

Royal Caribbean International commissioned a study into how playful we are as a nation and discovered only one in five adults laugh twice a day or less.

Colouring books for grown-ups have topped the bestsellers lists, and there is a growing trend for wanting to revert back to childhood activities.

Royal Caribbean’s ‘Act Your Shoe Size Report’ contains findings and analysis from YouGov and the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) on the play habits of Britain’s adults.

Results show 31 percent of the 4,095 British adults surveyed believed life was too serious with just one in five believing life was playful enough.

Nearly a third of respondents admitted the ‘British reserve’ and a fear of how others might view them was the reason they didn’t play more. Understandably, 21 percent were worried about looking stupid. A lack of time was a barrier for nearly a quarter of those surveyed.

The majority of respondents believed acting more playfully would reduce current stress levels and would help give a more positive outlook on life.

Play was considered to be a powerful tool in helping create a stronger family unit with 60 percent of parents questioned believing acting playfully helps them laugh more as a family, and 59 percent stated it improves their relationship with their children.

More than 52 percent of those surveyed admitted they would like to go back to being able to delight in the smallest things again, and 37 percent wished they could get that innate sense of childhood curiosity back.

The report concluded that most adults wanted to laugh like no one is watching, dance like we just don’t care, play on swings, splash in puddles, and play on adult versions of bouncy castles.

Stuart Leven, ‎Managing Director, Royal Caribbean International, UK & Ireland commented: “We take a playful approach to designing our ships and holidays which is why you’ll find a 30ft giraffe, dodgems and a 10 storey slide on-board! We experience first-hand how a playful outlook helps people relax, feel happier and get more out of spending time together, so we commissioned this report to look at how people can have more fun in their everyday life. What’s clear is we can all benefit from shaking off the sensible a little and acting our shoe size.”

Royal Caribbean will be launching its third Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas, this year as well as its third Oasis-class ship, Harmony of the Seas.

(Photo credits to Royal Caribbean International)