Here’s something we shouldn’t be too surprised to hear…a new study finds folks hate waiting. The new UK study, which could easily translate here, finds that most people have grown increasingly impatient over the years, with three quarters of those polled blaming technology for the increased lack of patience.

So, just how impatient are we? Well, the survey finds that when waiting for a web page to load folks start getting impatient after 16 seconds, while their patience lasts just 25 seconds waiting for a traffic light to change. But that’s not all…

  • It takes 20 seconds for folks to lose their patience waiting for ink to dry on a greeting card.
  • It takes 22 seconds for folks to get annoyed if a show or movie doesn’t load on their TV or computers.
  • Folks start losing it if they spend more than 18 seconds looking for a pen.
  • People get upset if it takes more than 28 seconds for water to boil for tea (okay this one’s a little more British than the others).
  • They don’t want to wait more than 14 minutes after ordering food at a restaurant, or more than seven minutes ordering a drink.
  • Most people grow impatient if they don’t get a response to an important email within 90 minutes.
  • They expect a refund for an online purchase in no more than four days.
  • 11 minutes is considered “too long” for a phone to recharge.

And let’s not forget the thing that probably tests most people’s patience the most – waiting in line. The poll finds that 45% of people say they’ve lost their temper waiting in line, with some saying that just 30 seconds of waiting will try their patience.

But as impatient as we are, 95% of folks do say that patience is a virtue, and there are some things folks are okay waiting for. In fact, folks are fine waiting 3-point-7 days for a handwritten piece of mail, and another 2-point-8 days for an online grocery order.

Source: Study Finds

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