Animal charity group Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA) asked 2,000 adults in Britain to share their day-to-day complaints. SPANA found that in Britain, 30 million adults experience first world problems every single day. Their biggest complaint? A runny nose.
SPANA compiled a list of top 50 first world problems encountered by Britons every day. The top 50 included not having Wi-Fi, having 3G signal instead of 4G, chipped nail polish, a pulled muscle from exercise and a recording that clashes with the TV.
The SPANA survey found 90 percent of adult Britons believe complaining about small things is part of human nature. And they sure like complaining: 85 percent of Britons like to whine about something. SPANA chief executive Jeremy Hulme said the first world problems that made it into their top 50 list were "trivial."
"It's so easy for minor, everyday problems to seem like a big deal, and most people in Britain admit to losing perspective at times," said Hulme who said the gripes Britons face daily are so insignificant when compared to the other problems encountered by people and even animals in other parts of the world.
Hulme highlighted the daily toll working animals endure in many developing countries, which is just one of the "real" problems people encounter in other parts of the world. Apart from having tough lives, these working animals don't get crucial veterinary care when they become injured or sick.
The SPANA survey also found 45 percent of Britons try not to become too engrossed in the severity of the world's current, real problems. Moreover, 12 percent said they try not to watch the news because they are afraid of what they will find.
Top 50 First World Problems
- A runny nose
- Getting a call from unknown numbers
- Being placed on hold when calling a company hotline
- Receiving a "We Missed You" card from a missed parcel delivery
- People who don't follow queuing etiquette
- No Wi-Fi
- Paying five pence to carry your own shopping bags home
- Door-to-door sales people
- Bad phone signal
- Failure to find the end of the sellotape
- Standing inside a public transport
- Forgetting an online account password
- Unable to find anything interesting when shopping for clothes
- Using a tin opener because the tin doesn't come with a ring pull
- When someone forgot to replace the toilet paper
- Running out of milk
- Delayed online deliveries
- Finding unexpected items at the self-checkouts' bagging area
- Dipping a biscuit in a cup of tea and losing half of it
- Satsumas that are not pip-free
- Getting blisters from wearing new shoes
- Unable to fast forward live TV
- Neighbors parking in front of your house when they have more parking space than you do
- Late public transport
- Recording clash on Sky+
- Cold tea
- Having a closet full of clothes but can't find anything to wear
- When hotels have plug sockets placed far from the bed or mirror
- Having 3G signal inside of 4G
- Having to sit near or in front of children when on a plane
- Forgetting to wear gloves on a chilly day
- Crème eggs not on sale year-round
- Late takeaway deliveries
- When important emails go straight into the junk folder
- Too much ice makes it hard to get to the actual drink
- A power shortage means you can't make tea or watch TV
- When meter reading folks and deliveries arrive at awkward times
- When the office is too hot but the outside is too cold
- Packing and returning clothes that you bought online but didn't like
- A chipped nail polish
- When hot water runs out
- A run in your nylons or pantyhose
- Forgetting the phone charger at home
- Getting change in coins instead of notes
- When coffee, tea or wine stains the teeth
- Over brewed tea with scum on top
- Coffee shops having long queues
- Towels and bed linen don't match
- When taxi drivers don't arrive on time
- Having a pulled muscle after exercise
Photo: William Brawley | Flickr