Party Political Broadcasts, Fifty Shades of Grey and shopping channels have been hailed as life’s biggest bores according to a new survey.
The study which asked 2,000 adults about what causes them to switch off revealed a list of the 50 most mind-numbingly boring people, places and things Brits come across in everyday life.
The topical winner was Party Political Broadcasts, rated as excessively boring by over half of the adults polled.
Ad breaks, queueing in the Post Office, and a painfully slow wi-fi connection were also placed highly in the list of biggest yawns.
Mark Walters, Managing Director of Interparcel, which commissioned the study said: ‘’It seems we Brits get bored very easily.
‘’And we all have different boredom triggers – many often find themselves restless and looking for things to do, while others relish their free time.
‘’It seems our general impatience is a common cause for boredom nationwide and that suggests our free time is very precious.”
‘’It’s no surprise that most of the top ten were made up of situations where we have to wait around so any areas of life where we can avoid this are embraced.’’
The research showed many of the most hyped elements of British life prove to be a source of boredom for many.
Sport bore a brunt of the blame, with extended football analysis, Formula 1 races and horse racing on TV all making an appearance.
And the gentlemanly sports of snooker, cricket and bowls were added to the many sporting mentions that sent those in the poll snoring.
Ed Miliband, David Cameron and Gordon Brown were all deemed completely boring by the poll, as well as the current affairs discussion show, Question Time.
Other TV entries included the daytime classics Bargain Hunt and Loose Women, while Scrapheap Challenge and Gardener’s World were also shown to tip Brits into tedium.
On a similar gardening theme, TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh came in as the 50th entry, accompanied by the famously boring A-listers of Kanye West, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bono.
The world of work was another source of boredom – 14 per cent claimed to work with someone who bores them to death; while company meetings and PowerPoint presentations made the top fifty.
But life outside of work doesn’t provide entertainment it seems, as filling in tax-returns, washing the dishes and mindless small talk were also named.
And doctor waiting rooms, staying in for a delivery and train delays all came within the top ten pinnacles of boredom.
Amazingly, over seven in ten adults confessed they lead boring lifestyles, and almost half considered themselves a boring person.
Though almost a third said they’re tired of their jobs, 58 per cent said they get bored on their days off, at a loss as what to do with themselves.
Mark Walters continues, “As the research clarified, the majority of us find queuing boring. What seemed liked endless queues in the Post Office was a key trigger in the development of the Interparcel.com business.
“The emergence of the internet and the rapid development of technology mean you no longer have to queue up to send a parcel.
“You can now easily and cost effectively arrange for a courier to come to your home or place of work to pick up or drop off your parcels and deliveries; you can drop them off or pick them up at a convenient parcel drop off point such as your local shop, garage or even an automated parcel locker at a time that suits you”
“Most importantly it saves time queuing and waiting around, letting you get on with the things that you enjoy doing.”
THE 50 MOST BORING THINGS OF MODERN LIFE
Party Political broadcasts 50.90%
Being kept on hold 45.95%
Queuing in the post office 44.45%
Traffic jams 42.90%
Shopping channels 42.65%
Doctor waiting rooms 37.30%
Slow Wi-Fi 34.35%
Waiting for a delivery 33.60%
Train delays 32.30%
Ad breaks 31.30%
Football pundits/analysis 31.10%
The Kardashians 29.65%
Bowls 28.85%
Selfies 28.65%
Horse racing on the TV 28.10%
Ed Milliband 27.35%
Fifty Shades of Grey 26.80%
Darts 26.30%
Gordon Brown 25.50%
Men playing Fifa 25.30%
Diet chat 24.95%
Formula One 24.60%
Rice cakes 24.55%
Filling in tax returns 23.10%
Cricket 23.05%
Bargain Hunt 22.10%
Snooker 21.75%
Kanye West 21.65%
David Cameron 21.35%
Scrapheap Challenge 21.15%
Football 19.45%
Other people’s family trees 19.00%
Loose Women 18.25%
Updating your CV 17.90%
Top Gear 17.60%
Shakespeare 16.85%
Gwyneth Paltrow 16.80%
PowerPoint presentations 16.35%
Coldplay 16.15%
Time team 15.30%
People telling you about their dreams 15.15%
The Gadget Show 15.05%
Bono 14.55%
Company meetings 14.05%
Question Time 14.05%
Buying socks 14.00%
Washing the dishes 13.90%
Gardeners World 13.80%
Small talk 13.75%
Alan Titchmarsh 12.10%
