Over half of Scots are “too tired” to go out

Many Scots admit cancelling plans as they would rather spend a night at home

One in three adults admit they falsely accept invitations, while half blame tiredness for their apparent reluctance to socialise.

84 per cent of people think it’s easier to cancel plans because of technology, using text, email and messaging apps to do so.

Half of Scots are using the “too tired” excuse, because they would just rather have a night in.

But very few people actually tell the truth when cancelling.

Some 60 per cent of Glaswegians surveyed claim it is “easier to make an excuse” to get out of something, compared to 46 per cent of those in Edinburgh.

Topping the list of excuses was “sickness” – with 55 per cent of Scots saying they regularly use illness as a way out of an arrangement. This time however, the sick card was played by 55 per cent of Edinburgh residents in-line with the national average, but only 35 per cent of Glaswegians.

Other common excuses in Scotland included “I double booked” (20 per cent), “I thought it was a different day” (15 per cent) and 18 per cent use their children to get out of plans they don’t want to attend.

Was it a work colleague that cancelled on you? Likely they lived in Glasgow, with 62 per cent saying they’ve cancelled on someone they work with versus only 28 per cent cancelling on friends.

“Connecting with family and friends is so important in life, as is building new friendships. Often there can be a little nervousness about meeting new people, but we want to encourage people to make the first step, as it could lead to a great friendship,” a spokesman for Mentos, who commissioned the survey, said.

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos said: “What we all have to remember is that stepping out of our comfort zone and making fresh connections is good for our physical and mental wellbeing. We all need to make the time to say yes because the simple act of getting out and connecting with new, and old friends is so important.”