A slow internet connection and other things that drive us crazy

A slow internet connection is the thing most likely to make men and women snap, according to new research.

A poll of more than 3,000 Brits by parcel delivery company myHermes has found that while women are more patient than men, both are only likely to last an average of two-and-a-half minutes before losing their rag.

After a slow internet connection, the things most likely to drive Brits crazy are: people who walk or drive slowly; being put on hold; traffic jams; and waiting for people who are late.

When asked how long they would wait before walking off in a strop, five out of ten men said they would wait up to a minute, compared to nine in ten women who said they would give it longer than a minute.

Despite this, men perceive themselves to be patient, while women are less likely to regard themselves as patient.

Only four out of ten women agreed that they were a patient person, against six out of ten men who claimed to be patient.

On average, Brits’ patience lasts just two and a half minutes before we snap. After this we are likely to start huffing and puffing, sighing impatiently and
muttering to ourselves.

A quarter even admitted that their impatience had lost them money because they couldn't be bothered to wait in a queue or stay on hold.

Jon Tobbell, from myHermes, said: “We already thought that people were
becoming less patient and that they don’t like queuing or waiting around,
but it’s surprising to see the extent of how impatient people really are.

“We all lead busy lives and time is precious to everyone. The last thing
you want is to be kept hanging around because of other people. Especially
when you are paying your internet provider or a store for their service.
No-one likes to lose their cool.

“To think that a quarter of people would lose out on money as they
couldn’t wait any longer in a queue or stay on hold is shocking, but
people nowadays just want good customer service and don’t want to be
hanging around for any longer than expected."

The top 20 things that make us lose our cool:
1. Slow internet connection
2. People who walk or drive slowly
3. Being put on hold
4. Traffic
5. Waiting for people who are late
6. People ignoring our 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 a bill in a restaurant
19. People spending ages in a public toilet
20. Listening to people argue