London - You may be one yourself, or you may live or work with one... the grumps who cannot bear to talk to anyone first thing in the morning.
Now a survey of 2,000 Britons has found that after waking up at an average time of 6.49am, it’s another hour and 15 minutes before the grumps feel up to having a conversation. So, it’s not until around 8am that anyone should dare say a word to them.
More than half of the adults in the survey said they are grumpy in the morning, with 43 percent of people saying they even avoid talking to their partner until they feel up to it.
Almost a third dodge conversation with their colleagues first thing, while 21 percent even ignore their children.
Fourteen percent have even broken up with someone, or had someone break up with them, because of their zombie-like state in the morning.
And around 70 percent of those who commute on public transport say they dread strangers talking to them because they can’t bear to face anyone that early in the day, according to the survey commissioned by the makers of a new game app, Zombie Underground.
Instead, 37 percent bury themselves in a book to avoid making eye-contact with anyone, while another 34 percent listen to music.
And 16 percent admitted to pretending to talk on their phone to dodge any unwanted chat.
A massive four in ten commuters have even ended up in an argument with a stranger on the train, bus or tube because they tried to start up a polite conversation
Researchers found a bad night’s sleep is most likely to put Brits in a bad mood in the mornings, followed by the dark winter mornings.
More than a third say they just simply take a little while to get going in the mornings while one in five get a grey cloud over their head when they look out their window at wind and rain.
Jon Lucas, spokesman for Zombie Underground, said: “Mornings are a struggle for most people, especially in the winter.
‘Waking up after a bad night’s sleep, or knowing you have a long and stressful day ahead of you can put you in a bad mood before you have even stepped out of bed.
‘Coupled with the dark mornings, bad weather and the thought of the commute to work, it’s no wonder that many people want to crawl back under the covers instead.
For 54 percent of grumpy Brits, a simple cup of tea or coffee is all it takes to brighten their mood and help them to wake up.
Thirty-six percent feel more with it after eating breakfast while 22 percent resort to splashing cold water in their face.
Listening to loud music or having a cold shower were named as other popular ways to get going after getting out of bed. - Daily Mail