Best way to show you care? Give them a cuppa

MANY of us spend weeks trying to think of a present for a loved one to show how much we care.

But it turns out making them a cuppa without being asked can have the same effect.

Preparing a surprise meal and running someone a bath are also among the top 50 signs we care, a survey of 2,000 adults found.

Some 80 per cent of us believe we are big-hearted, with the average adult doing something to show they care around once a day.

But while six in ten do it to make the recipient feel loved or cheer them up, more than four in ten admit their motivation is to earn brownie points they can cash in later.

The list also includes sharing food, giving away the biggest or last slice of cake, doing the chores without being asked or simply saying ‘I love you’ or dishing out a hug. The best type of meal to cook was found to be the recipient’s favourite dish, a healthy meal or a dish from their childhood.

Some 85 per cent of people say having a meal cooked for them makes them feel cared for or appreciated.

Carole Ann Rice, a life coach and author, said: ‘Offering to cook a meal when someone is ill, remembering birthdays or special occasions, helping a friend declutter a spare room or join them on a scary hospital appointment can make life meaningful and rich.

‘Little and often is the key to sustained happiness and enjoyment of life and that can be right here, right now and in the present.’

Camilla Sheeley, from Tilda Basmati rice, which commissioned the research, said: ‘Everyone wants to feel they are cared for and appreciated and sometimes it only takes something small to make people feel this way.

‘Something as simple as a spontaneous hug or just a smile can really make someone feel better.’