Men’s patience is more likely to snap quicker than women’s, new research has shown, even though women perceive themselves as being less patient than men.
When asked how long they would wait before walking off in a strop, five out of ten men would wait up to a minute, but only one in ten women said they would leave this quickly.
Yet when each gender was asked if they would describe themselves as a patient person, only four out of ten women agreed, against six out of ten men claiming they were patient.
On average, Brits’ patience lasts just two and a half minutes before they snap. After this we start huffing and puffing, sighing impatiently and muttering to ourselves.
The survey of 3,000 Brits, which was commissioned by online parcel delivery company myhermes.co.uk, found that a quarter have even lost money as a result of their impatience, refusing to wait in a queue or stay on hold.
A slow internet connection was the thing most likely to get Brits shouting with impatience, followed by slow drivers and being told their phone call is in a queue.
This was followed by traffic jams, friends who are always late, waiting in for a delivery and queuing at the Post Office.
Other examples of things that send Brits over the edge included bad spelling and trying to get an appointment with a GP or dentist.
A third say they often find themselves ranting and raving to complete strangers. And one in six have had an argument with shop staff because they haven’t got the patience to wait and queue.
More than twice that amount have got in to an argument over the phone with someone working in a call centre.
A third of Brits have been embarrassed after an outburst wishing they were more patient while eight out of ten say they have given up doing something or buying something because they haven’t got the patience to wait for it.
TOP 20 THINGS THAT MAKE US LOSE OUR COOL
1. SLOW INTERNET
2. PEOPLE WHO WALK OR DRIVE SLOW
3. BEING ON HOLD
4. TRAFFIC
5. WAITING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LATE
6. PEOPLE IGNORING YOUR CALLS
7. PEOPLE NOT LISTENING
8. WAITING IN FOR A DELIVERY
9. QUEUING AT THE POST OFFICE
10. BAD SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
11. PEOPLE BREAKING THE RULES
12. DELAYED TRAINS
13. QUEUING AT A BAR
14. CHILDREN ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER AGAIN
15. TRYING TO GET A GP OR DENTIST APPOINTMENT
16. SPAM
17. CYCLISTS
18. TRYING TO GET THE BILL IN A RESTAURANT
19. PEOPLE SPENDING AGES IN A PUBLIC TOILET
20. LISTENING TO PEOPLE ARGUE
