Snow and late trains have soured Britain's mood, happiness survey finds

Transport chaos, extreme weather and money worries has seen Britain's mood sour.

A survey found that rail problems as well as heavy snow are to be blamed for dragging down the nation's happiness over the last six months.

Similarly, despite household incomes remaining broadly unchanged, one in four parents now feel "intensely worried" about money or debt compared to one in five six months ago.

The survey found that Millennials are twice as likely as the Baby Boomer generation to worry intensely about money or debt.

The Living Well Index, created by supermarket chain Sainsbury’s in partnership with researchers Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social Research, tracks what it means to live well in the UK today.

Sleep quality, a good sex life and feeling like you have enough time were the top three factors leading to a high living well score.

Those in the top 20% of the index tended to have better sleep quality, support networks and sex life satisfaction than the average Briton.

Socialising was found to boost to Britons' happiness - with eating socially considered to be the fourth most important factor on the living well scale.

The poll of more than 8,000 people conducted at the start of 2018 also found that those who eat meals with others scored significantly higher on the index than someone who never does.

Activities such as meeting and speaking to friends and family, or chatting to neighbours, had a clear positive reaction.

More than half of those with the highest scores met up with friends and family several times a week or more, whereas most of those at the bottom of the index did so once a month or less.

The research found that digital interaction with friends and family isn't enough, as the results showed there was no association with these interactions and our wellbeing.

The nation’s wellbeing dropped by 0.5 points to 60.7 out of a maximum 100 in the last six months.

“It stands to reason that we all feel happier in the summer months, but the analysis suggests this is partly because we socialise more and spend more time outside, which we’re less able to do in winter," explains Ian Mulheirn, director of consulting at Oxford Economics and lead researcher on the project.

"In an age of unprecedented digital distraction, it appears that real, human connections are far more beneficial to our wellbeing than the connections we make online," he added.

The Sainsbury’s Living Well Index was launched in September 2017 and is measured every six months.