Two-thirds of us enjoy staying home sick because it gives us the opportunity to clean the house, according to a study.
The average person also calls in sick about three times a year, with Millennials and Zoomers most likely to take sick leave.
This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the market research institute OnePoll among 2,000 Americans.
A third of respondents said they “strongly agree” and 38 percent said they “tend to agree” that they like staying home sick.
A large majority of Americans say they enjoy being homesick, while younger people enjoy it more
Americans say the best part of being sick is having more time to clean the house and more time to sleep and relax
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Researchers asked participants 27 questions about how often they get sick each year, what illnesses they contract and factors at home that may play a role in their illness.
The results published today show that 11 percent of the population has not been sick at all in the past year.
A large majority report one to six illnesses per year – or about 81 percent.
The most commonly reported illness was the common cold (48 percent), followed by flu and strep throat at 30 percent.
Just one in five Americans reported Covid illness in the past year, the same number who had respiratory syncytial virus and less than the number who reported whooping cough.
The most likely culprit for spreading disease is children, with 22 percent blaming their children for the disease.
However, some parts of being sick are worse than others.
When asked what their biggest annoyance was when they were sick, 35 percent of respondents said they couldn’t enjoy their favorite foods.
Younger people aged 18 to 41 were more likely to cite food as one of the disadvantages.
A third of survey participants said they had not taken medicine with a bad taste, including 45 percent of people over 77.
Another reported disadvantage was the lack of an opportunity to participate in hobbies, with 32 percent reporting it as a hobby.
The worst part of being sick is taking medication that tastes bad, not being able to eat your favorite foods, or do hobbies
While being sick comes with pain, missed events and just a general bad feeling, many Americans secretly enjoy it.
Younger people are more likely to feel homesick, as 79 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 25 agree.
Of those aged 26 to 41, 76 per cent said they liked being sick, and 70 per cent of those aged 42 to 57.
In contrast, only 65 percent of older people – aged 77 or older – took a sick day.
When asked why a person tends to stay home when sick—skipping work, school, and other obligations—many cited household chores.
Just over 40 per cent of those surveyed said that the day off gives them more time to clean the house – with younger people giving this answer significantly more often.
Two in five respondents also said they enjoy disconnecting from social media, although only 21 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds agree.
Other reasons include relaxing and sleeping (38 percent cited this as a reason), binge-watching (33 percent) and being pampered (32 percent).
About 32 percent also mentioned the joy of making phone calls without work. This group was most likely to be between 26 and 57 years old – 33 percent of those surveyed cited this as the reason.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
