London: Believe it or not, the average Briton spends more than 36 minutes everyday worrying, which equates to nine whole days every year or a year-and-a-half during a lifetime, a survey has revealed.
Four in ten are stressed about debt, a quarter are concerned they are "not living life to the full" and one in five is troubled about family members falling ill, the `Daily Mail` reported.
Researchers found that extreme anxiety has meant many people are unable to concentrate at work and endure sleepless nights and rifts with their partners. One in 10 said they felt stressed for more than two hours a day, while one in two worry so much it has affected their health.
A spokesman for the Everyman Campaign, which carried out the survey, was quoted as saying, "People are wasting far too much time stressing about things. Money is dominating most of people`s thoughts.
"It`s interesting to see that petrol prices take priority over people`s sex lives. A whole raft of worries affect different areas of adults` lives, but it`s interesting to see that health concerns are quite far down the list."
A quarter blamed the lingering downturn for the stress levels, while three in 10 said it was just "who they were".
A massive 86 per cent of those surveyed said women worry more than men. One in five is bothered about house prices and the risk of cancer, and one in six is worried about pensions and heavy workloads.