Feeling stress? join the queue

The art of waiting patiently in a queue is a peculiarly British trait. The shortest period we wait is 5 minutes 58 seconds. Any longer and people are risking their health, with stress levels and blood pressure rising dangerously high, according to a study. The length of time Britons will wait before showing any stress depends on the type of queue they are in. They will wait 5 min 58 sec on the phone to a call centre; 6 min 32 sec at the supermarket checkout; 10 min 57 sec for public transport and 13 minutes at a restaurant. The research, commissioned by mobile phone network GiffGaff, polled 2,054 adults, during which 67 per cent admitted they felt “annoyed” when forced to wait too long. Thirty per cent also experience stress, 19 per cent become “angry” and 16 per cent feel their custom is “not valued”. Stress expert Dr Roger Henderson said: “Our expectations are now such that if we do not get the service we expect very quickly, our stress levels increase quickly and significantly.“When stress levels start to rise, health problems can begin to develop. “They include high blood pressure, chronic anxiety, headaches, stomach and bowel upsets. “When waiting in queues this stress can manifest as a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms, irritability, anger, frustration and muscle spasms.”