London - If the woman in your life seemed a little cross this morning, don’t despair – only nine more miserable days to go.
According to a study, the average woman spends the equivalent of ten days every year in a bad mood.
Feeling fat, money worries, partners who don’t listen and bad weather were among the most common triggers. Other key problems included feeling undervalued and having too much to do. And while the study of 1 000 women and 1 000 men found that a woman spends nearly five hours in a strop in a typical week, the men in their lives insisted it is actually closer to eight hours.
Half of the women in the poll by vitamin brand Healthspan admitted they were moody “a lot” and one in seven even said they spend longer in a huff than they do happy.
Two thirds of women also said they thought women are moodier than men. But GP and TV doctor Hilary Jones said: “Hormones can have a huge impact on both sexes’ lives.
“We shouldn’t underestimate the effect hormones also have on men’s lives. Two fifths of men claimed their moods were increasing as they aged and the ‘manopause’ is very real for men as they deplete in testosterone.”
Psychotherapist Sally Brown said: “The research shows both men and women are susceptible to being in a bad mood from time to time, but what is interesting is more how the sexes cope with their moods.
“Women crave ‘me time’ and men tend to rely on their partners to help lift them out of their moods.”
Spending time alone was by far the most popular remedy for women – perhaps because partners often can’t seem to help. More than two thirds of the men (68 percent) admitted they zone out when their wife or girlfriend is feeling low.
One in five women said shopping was the best pick-me-up and 22 percent said exercise. A less healthy one in ten turned to chocolate to cheer them up and nearly two fifths drank a glass of wine.
÷ Top triggers for women’s bad moods included: being overweight; their partner not listening; feeling undervalued; the time of the month; having nothing to wear; having a bad hair day; struggling to keep on top of the housework; children not listening or being ungrateful; waking up with a spot; not knowing what to cook for dinner; no one making them a cup of tea; going through the menopause; and breaking a nail. - Daily Mail