For the study, researchers asked some 2,000 people what their most important pleasures were.
Some 22 per cent of the respondents picked laughing, swiftly followed by eating good food with great friends, in second place with 21 per cent. A hug was in third place with 19 per cent, according to the study.
The research suggests that despite the world`s focus on materialistic possessions, people still find pleasure in pastimes which do not cost a penny, British newspaper the `Daily Express` reported.
Among the other top 10 pleasures listed was the feel of the sun on your face, reading a good book, walking along the beach and getting into bed with clean sheets. Also popular was watching sunsets, leafing through old photographs and memories and smelling freshly cut grass.
Ralph Walker, head of marketing for Apples from New Zealand, which organised the survey to mark the start of the import season, said: "It seems that in an overly complicated and stressful world we`re looking for ways to reconnect with what really matters.
"Family, friends and the beauty of nature make people happiest. It`s the simplest things in life that do not cost us anything which seem to bring us the most happiness."